Heaven Falls: A Jedi On Earth
by Darth Marrs
Summary: What happens when a Jedi padawan crashes to Earth? All of hell and half of heaven. An epic length, stand alone, MegaCrossover I know about those now-I read TVTropes set in the same AU as Gods of Dark And Light.
1. From A Galaxy Far Far Away

**Heaven Falls: A Jedi on Earth**

Time Frame: GFFA-Legacy Era, 130 ABY

Earth—January 18th, 2002

Author's Note: This is a stand-alone MegaCrossover primarily involving Star Wars, Stargate and Roswell, with elements from Star Trek and a smattering of NCIS, Grey's Anatomy (you'll get the connection) and other stories as appropriate. With the exception of the Star Wars 'verse, which is set in the same AU as my fic _Gods of Dark and Light_, everything set prior to January 2002 regardless of what show or series should be considered canon. Nothing that takes place after January 2002 is canon.

Nothing belongs to me. In fact, with only a few obvious exceptions, every character in this story is an established character within their respective stories. This is a true MegaCrossover. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy.

Darth Marrs

* * *

**Part One: A Very Long Day**

_When the fish that travels over both land and sea, is cast up on to the shore by a great wave, its shape foreign, smooth and frightful. From the sea the enemies soon reach the walls._

_Century I, Canto 29, The Prophecies of Nostradamus_

**Chapter One: From A Galaxy Far Far Away**

_Ossus, Auril Sector, 130 ABY, 2 Days following the Fall of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (GFFA)_

Siana Delun screamed as the red and black-tattooed Sith warriors cut through the small number of Jedi left who tried to make a perimeter.

"Do not fear, Delun!" Master Skywalker told her as he lifted his own light saber in one hand, and a second taken from a nearby fallen Jedi in the other. "Go with Shado and Cade, now! We've summoned your guardian!"

Behind the Jedi Master, waves of red lightsabers and white storm trooper helmets came rushing on, while overhead Imperial fighters swarmed across the skies. Surrounding buildings exploded under the orbital barrage, throwing everything into chaos.

In all her life, Siana had never felt such fear as she did at that moment. Still, when she felt a soothing hand on her arm, she forced herself to be calm and turned to see a Rutian Twi'lek staring at her compassionately. "Come on, Siana," Shado said. "The younglings need us!"

Nearby, she saw Cade staring at his father and Master Sazen even as he shepherded the younglings into one of the waiting Jedi shuttles. Around them, the new forests of Ossus burned. With a muffled sob, Siana turned and ran from the attack with Shado by her side.

Behind her, she heard Master Skywalker speak words that would burn into her mind for the rest of her life: "_I am Kol Skywalker, servant of the Living Force. None of you shall pass_!"

There was an explosion ahead of her, and Siana sucked in air as she realized a squad of storm troopers and Sith had flanked them. She reached for her purple lightsaber at the same time Shado ignited his blue double-bladed saber, and the two leaped toward their enemies, while behind them Kol Skywalker and Wolf Sazen by themselves held off an army of Sith and stormtroopers.

The fighting became a blur. Siana lost her fear and pain in the will of the Living Force, letting it guide her as she spun, flew and cut through the fanatics attempting to kill the Jedi younglings. Nearby, she felt Shado twirling savagely as he cut down all who blocked their way, until at last they cleared a path for the younglings, who ran without needing direction as soon as it was safe.

She found Shado staring at her. "What?"

"I'm in awe, Padawan," the Twi'lek said. "What a powerful knight you will be!"

They heard a cry of agony and turned to see Master Skywalker twitching under a shower of Sith Force lightning. Sazen was down as well, clutching the stump that was once his hand. Cade ignored both Shado's calls and her own and ran to aid his father and master.

"Talleth, get the younglings out!" Siana called to another padawan near her own age. Talleth complied and the first of the Jedi shuttles launched.

She turned to rush forward when Shado caught her. "Get out of here," he told her. "I'll get Cade and the rest of the younglings. Get a shuttle and go, while you can!"

"I can't leave you!" she said.

Shado leaned close enough for her to feel and smell the passage of his breath across her face. "Siana, you are the last of your family. For your parents. For your grandparents. For the guardian of your line, you can and will go! Now!" He pushed her away, his blue lekku flailing, before turning to go after Cade.

"Force preserve us," she whispered as the tears again sprung to her eyes. Somewhere out on the grounds of the temple, her mother and father lay dead. Her grandparents as well. Even old Rana, her great, great, great grandmother, the oldest human alive, had finally succumbed.

Overhead, another shuttle lifted off, only to explode under a barrage of orbital fire. Siana doubled over with the pain as she felt twenty youngling lives snuffed out. With a cry of despair, she threw herself into one of the remaining shuttles, ran to the cockpit and lifted off. She began rolling the ship left and then right as soon as she was airborne in an attempt to evade the oncoming barrage. As soon as she was clear of the foliage, she ignited the thrusters and sent the shuttle barreling toward the sky.

Even before she left the atmosphere, a swarm of _Predator_-class fighters began firing on the heavily armored shuttle. She evaded the fire as best she could, until at last she broke through the atmosphere into empty space. Ten thousand kilometers away, she could see the gray arrow's point that was a _Pellaeon_-class Imperial star destroyer firing on the surface.

Sparks began to fly from control panels as laser bolts began taking their toll She grabbed the hyperdrive lever, said a prayer to the Force, and then pulled. The stars began to twist into a familiar blue tunnel. Just as the ship was about to enter hyperspace, however, one of the Predators got off a lucky shot that hit the motivator.

The tunnel started collapsing. "No!" Siana cried. She gasped desperately at the Force, throwing raw Force power at the motivator at the same time as she increased power through the engines. The damaged motivator flared a dangerous red through the panels at the rear of the shuttle cargo area, and suddenly the blue tunnel shifted to red, and the shuttle blasted into a type of hyperspace she had never seen or even heard of.

The passage buffeted the ship brutally and tossed the young padawan from her seat. Elsewhere she heard another loud thud and feared something else had broken, but she did not have time to check it out. She picked herself back up and managed to strap herself into the crash webbing just as the ship lost all semblance of control and began tumbling through the red hyperspace tunnel.

The shuttle burst out of hyperspace with a flare of Cronau radiation and a flash of fire from the motivator. Almost immediately, the shuttle began tumbling uncontrollably. In the cockpit, every alarm the shuttle had was howling.

Siana grabbed desperately at the flight controller and fought to level the shuttle out. She just managed to stop the stars from spinning around so violently when a blue orb suddenly dominated the window.

Already the planet's gravity had seized her ship. She tried to activate sublight, but when she hit the switch, the engines behind her exploded and the lighting in the cockpit dimmed. "By the Force," she whispered. "I'm going in blind!"

Plasma began glowing along the leading edges of her ship. She closed her eyes and sent a prayer to the Force. As if in answer, the back-up systems in the shuttle activated and power surged through the cockpit.

"At least I have control thrusters," Sienna said aloud. She looked at the Navcomp, hoping for an ID of the planet. She had originally intended to head toward the core where the remnants of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances still held some Jedi-friendly worlds.

The computer, however, had no information about the planet, or even… "This can't be right," she said. "Computer, verbal interface, confirm location."

"Unable to confirm," a pleasant masculine voice responded. "No known star configurations. High probability of extra-galactic location."

_Extra galactic_

"Please note we are entering the atmosphere of a Class IV planet without functional shields or sublight engines. Emergency beacon activated. Recommend crash webbing and foam be deployed."

"I can't fly in crash foam," Siana said. She was coming in on the night-side of the planet, and in so doing could see cities evident over all the continents. Her sensors picked up several satellites as well, so at least she was crashing on a space-faring planet.

The shuttle hit the atmosphere like a rock hitting water. The shock of the impact took Siana's breath away and spun the shuttle violently into another uncontrolled tumble. The tumble continued even as the flaming shuttle broke through into the atmosphere. Siana's efforts to level the flight were hampered by the lack of her port-side stabilizer, which appeared to have burned off either in re-entry or in the barrage of fire over Ossus.

"Surface impact in five minutes, recommend deployment of crash foam," the computer's voice said happily as around her air and fire roared.

She kept her hands on the flight controller and poured the Force, her muscles and every once of willpower into leveling and slowing the ship. "Impact in three minutes, recommend deployment of crash foam," the computer said.

"Frak you," Siana said in a very un-Jedi-like manner. The shuttle finally stopped tumbling just long enough to give her a good look at a moonlit lake rushing toward her.

"Impact imminent, recommend deployment of crash foam," the computer said helpfully.

Siana pulled the crashfoam lever and held her breath as the white foam bubbled instantly into the whole cockpit. Then she felt and heard a roar, and everything blacked out.


	2. Crashdown

**LiMiYa**--Thanks!

**Ancient Lantean**--Glad to see you braced a new world. I posted a complete Dramatis Personae in my forums of pretty much everyone who appears through Part 2.

In case anyone wonders--the primary verses described in this chapter are Roswell and X-Files. This is a multi-verse crossover, but I try my best to let the different characters and verses be drawn in through what I hope is a logical method. I'm not just going to throw all these series in hodge podge. It will make sense.

The story itself will take shape in at least four separate parts. Part 1 deals primarily with Siana's landing and involves Primarily Roswell, X-Files, Star Wars and some Stargate. Part II deals with a series of consequences that come about as a result of her landing and becomes much more heavily involved in Stargate, while Parts III and IV deal with more familiar territory to my GOD&L readers as the Ori appear.

Thank you for reading.

**Chapter 2: Crashdown**

Lake Sumner, New Mexico

Thursday, January 17, 2002

8:45 p.m. Mountain Time

Michael Guerin bent over a carefully made pile of logs, surrounded by a ring of stones, and held out his hand. The center of his hand took on a red glow, and from the center of the pile of logs, flame erupted. Behind him Maria Deluca set up their tent on the shores of Lake Sumner.

When he knew she wasn't looking, Michael turned and stared over his shoulder, astounded as always at how lucky he was. Maria was a marvel to him, a young woman of grace, intelligence and beauty with the voice of a sultry angel who, despite her many qualities that made her perfect for a truly deserving man, seemed to like him instead. He still did not understand what it was about him that she loved, but he was forever grateful that she did. Evidently, Maria's mom saw that love too. For the first time, Amy Deluca actually gave her daughter permission to go camping with Michael.

"Fire's done," he said. "Need help with the tent?"

Maria straightened and stared at the unrecognizable pile of fabric. "How did I get stuck with tent duties?" she demanded.

Michael shrugged, held out a hand, and the fire roared over their heads before settling back down. "Alien powers. I don't need matches," he said with a smirk.

She sidled up to him and gave him a long kiss. "At least we know my spaceboy is good for something. Now, are you going to help me?"

"Yeah."

He returned her kiss and started setting up the tent. Around them, the night was absolutely still save for the twinkling of lights from the small subdivision across the lake.

For those not born or bred in the true Southwest, the silence might have been intimidating. There was no beautiful forest surrounding the lake, nor any mountains. It was rather a large pond in the middle of a desert, with only an occasional juniper or cottonwood tree to break the monotony. It was where Michael and Maria had been born (sort of, in Michael's case) and the only nature they knew. The January evening was still bitingly cold, with tufts of snow hidden in low spots, or at the leeward sides of the occasional trees that dotted the arid landscape.

As she kissed him, Maria felt the heat radiating off Michael's body. Snuggled against him, Maria knew she would be more than warm enough that night. She basked in his heat, and the moment. It was, she realized, one of the few occasions where the two of them were acting like a real couple. Granted, she was not a great fan of camping, but camping with Michael alone… Michael could be rude, insensitive; even mean. But when they were alone, he was...still rude and insensitive, she admitted. But often times he was also selfless, loving and supportive, and everything a boyfriend was supposed to be. And he was getting better all the time.

Michael had the tent nearly assembled when both heard the crack of what sounded like thunder. They looked up into the cloudless sky, until in the west they saw it. A fireball was falling through the sky. "Wow," Maria said.

"Wonder what it is?" Michael said.

They continued watching as the fireball seemed to get larger. "I don't know," Maria said, her voice rising an octave, "but I'm pretty sure it's coming our way! Michael!"

Michael responded instinctively. He grabbed Maria's shoulders and threw her down inside the tent, and then threw himself over her just as the fireball struck the water a few hundred yards away in a small inlet on the southeast corner of the lake.

Water vaporized in a plume and began falling almost like rain. The tent blocked the water, keeping both dry. When the worst of it passed, Michael climbed out of the tent, jumped to his feet and stared. He held out a hand absently to help Maria out as well, but did not take his eyes from the object jutting out of the water. "That's alien," he said with absolute certainty.

"Are you sure?" Maria asked, recovering quickly. "Looks military to me. Look—it even has running lights."

Michael turned and stared. "Maria, if that were military, it'd be in a thousand pieces by now. You saw how fast it came in. Look at it. It looks like it just fell a few feet instead of crashing in a fireball."

Maria pursed her lips in thought. "Okay, so it's alien. So what do we do?"

"We check it out!" Michael said, as if the question was completely moronic. He began running toward the shore with Maria a step behind.

"Michael, what if it's a bad alien!" she said.

"I'll deal with it," he said firmly as he continued to run. They reached the shore nearest the crash. A few nearby bushes had been singed, but otherwise nothing looked too damaged. The object itself was obviously a ship of some kind, perhaps twice the size of a commuter jet but smaller than a 737. Michael could see why Maria thought it was military—the ship had a green, khaki-like color to it, but it was so blocky, without recognizable wings or engines, that he couldn't believe it would be able to fly using conventional military technologies.

The water was cold, but he ignored it as he splashed in until he was waist-deep. He came to the still steaming surface of the ship. "Michael!" Maria called from shore. "I can see lights coming around the lake. And that might be a helicopter coming!"

Michael ignored her as he put a hand to the surface and concentrated. Light blossomed from the center of his palm, and matching light began steaming from the ship's surface. A moment later, Michael's power burned a door-sized opening into the tilted side of the ship. Water began seeping in as he climbed in himself. The interior was covered in thick white goo that seemed to be melting even as he touched it.

Aside from the goo, he had to admit a little disappointment in how completely mundane everything looked. There were benches and seats with exotic but still usable seatbelts just like any military transport. He began moving forward, using his power to melt away the foam, until he reached what looked like a cockpit.

That's when he found her. He knew immediately she was not military just from the odd robes she wore. But what really convinced him was the strands of blue hair now visible in the midst of the melting white foam. He moved to her side and felt her cheek—it was still warm and flushed, though she herself appeared out cold. He lifted the hair, and in the single white light of the cockpit, he could see the blue went all the way to the roots—it was not just a dye job.

He glanced over the controls and stared at the script. He recognized what had to be words, but not the alphabet. He did know, however, that it was not Antaran script, so she was not one of his own kind.

He tugged at the alien woman's seat belt, and then resorted to using his power to snap the cables. She fell sideways into his arms and he began carrying her. Finally, he had no choice but to throw her over his shoulder. When he did so, he heard a faint moan of pain, but nothing more.

Grunting at the exertion, Michael climbed up the steeply inclined interior until he reached the hole. Only in so doing did he realize just how deeply the craft had embedded itself in the lake. Maria stood on the shore, her hands to her face. "Michael, I can see helicopters coming!"

Michael saw lights in the sky, still distant, and knew they had little time. "Help me!"

"The water's freezing!"

"Maria!?!"

"Oh, all right," Maria said, yelping as she stepped into the cold water of the lake. She was up to her shoulders, shivering violently, when Michael lowered the girl down. "Is she one of you?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Michael said. "But she's not from around here." Michael hopped into the water himself, took the girl, and the two of them stumbled toward the shore. "Your trunk!" Michael said.

"It's a hatchback," Maria reminded him.

"We're not staying, pack the stuff over her!" The back seat was already folded down from their trip up. He placed the unconscious girl with the blue hair in the back of the hatchback, and then quickly disassembled the tent and placed it, still loose, over her. They quickly packed the rest of their things just as the helicopter arrived, blowing dust everywhere.

"Michael!" Maria said suddenly. "Our clothes! They'll know we've been in the water."

"Right." Michael ran a hand over his clothes. Where the hand passed, the moisture disappeared, leaving him dry. He did the same for Maria and was just finishing as the first car from the subdivision across the lake arrived. More were on their way. "Are you okay?" a massive Hispanic man with a goatee called as he climbed out.

Michael waved. "Yeah, close call, though, huh?"

A moment later the Army helicopter landed and twelve very heavily armed soldiers jumped out and ran toward the shore. "Wow, you guys got here fast!" the Hispanic man said.

The soldier in charge shouted orders to his men and then stepped directly in front of Michael. "Has anyone approached the craft?" he said.

Michael and Maria both shook their heads. "It's in the middle of the water," Maria pointed out helpfully.

The soldier looked both of them over, noting the dry clothes with a nod. "Folks, this was a Pegasus transport that suffered an engine malfunction. We may have people aboard we need to rescue. I'm going to have to ask you all to leave the area. We have other choppers coming." He pulled out a notepad. "I just need your names and contact information in case we have any questions for you."

"Carlos Guevara," the large man said as he rattled off his phone number. "I live across the lake."

The soldier, who Michael noted was a sergeant, nodded. "And you two?"

"John Love," he said, and gave the phone number to the Pizza place near his apartment.

Maria stared at him a moment, then smiled. "Margarita Salt." She gave the phone number of Michael's one-time dance instructor.

The sergeant didn't even bat an eye. "Thank you, kids. Now, get going. We'll call you for your statements."

They turned, gathered their tent and soggy picnic basket, and climbed into Maria's Jetta. The fire had long been extinguished by the crash.

They drove away in silence, making sure to stare straight ahead, as behind them more helicopters arrived. As they got on 203 leaving the park, they could see in the distance behind them a line of headlights approaching from the southwest.

Only when they were on Highway 84 heading back to Fort Sumner did she dare turn in her seat, lifted a flap of the tent, and stared at the girl. "She looks human," Maria whispered. "I wonder who she is?"

"Don't know," Michael said as he drove. "But whoever she is, we can't just turn her over to the government and let them do to her what they did to Max. We can't."

Maria looked away from the beautiful alien at Michael, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I know, Spaceboy," she whispered. "We're doing the right thing. We'll call Max, and everything will turn out all right."

Michael drove for a moment, and then said, "I love you."

"I know," Maria assured him. "I love you too. But you're still going to owe me a nice dinner for this one. And you actually have to pay this time."

Michael grinned. "Done!"

* * *

Behind them, the first response team of soldiers quickly formed a perimeter around the shoreline while a lone figure in a black overcoat watched. He stood near a lone juniper tree as soldiers inflated rafts to post a line around the ship in the water as well. Their orders were simply to isolate the craft until the isolation team arrived. 

The soldiers were so busy establishing their perimeter that they did not at first notice the lean figure standing in the hole that somehow had been burned into the side of the ship. With the only light coming from flashlights, it should not have been surprising how easily the figure evaded attention.

The man in the overcoat noticed, however, and watched with interest from a pinion tree just outside the perimeter as the figure launched himself into the air to a height beyond any possible human reach. Flying over the water and the heads of the soldiers, the figure landed lightly five feet inland from the sergeant overseeing the operation.

The sergeant turned in time to see a flash of red before his head went tumbling away from his body toward the water. The other men, instantly recognizing a threat, opened fire with every weapon they had.

Blue lightning flashed through the air and men screamed in agony. The beam of red flashed again, and some fell headless to the ground while others died sizzling under the barrage of blue lightning. In less than a minute, a full dozen soldiers lay dead.

The meter-long beam of red light faded back into what looked like a black cane, and the thin figure turned toward the man in the overcoat. The figure spoke words the man could not understand, but the threat was obvious.

"I am not one of those humans," the man in the overcoat said in contempt. "I am not so easily defeated." He pulled a gun from inside his coat. Before the man could fire, though, the dark figure burst forward with incredible speed. With a flash of red light, the man looked down at the severed stump of his wrist and a sizzling red beam impaling his chest.

He looked back up at the dark figure, smiled grimly, and stepped back off the red light sword. He held up his hand, and the figure watched with a tilted head and narrowed red eyes as a bud broke through the cauterized flesh. The bud expanded with astounding speed, breaking into appendages that were obviously going to become a hand. In moments, there was absolutely no sign the man in the overcoat had been injured, except for the blackened hole in his clothes.

The dark attacker paused and spoke again, but again, the language was nothing heard on Earth. The man in the overcoat grinned evilly. "You do not want me or my kind as an enemy," he said.

The alien returned his grin, activated his light sword, and then cut the man in the overcoat into fifty separate pieces in the course of five seconds. To those pieces, the dark figure pointed his hand and unleashed a maelstrom of blue electricity that cooked every piece of flesh until it blackened and boiled.

By the time the isolation team arrived, there was no sign of the dark figure, and the decimated man in the black overcoat was reduced to a pool of black oil.

* * *

Somerset, England 

Friday, January 18, 2002

3:58 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) (Thursday, 9:58 p.m. MST)

In a beautiful country estate coated in a thick blanket of white snow, a well-manicured man sipped warm tea while staring out the window of his study into the early morning darkness.

He was an elderly gentleman with rheumy, sorrowful eyes and hair as white as the snow outside, which itself was still shrouded in the pre-dawn darkness.

The gentleman did not sleep very often any more, not since having to fake his own death several year before. He was waiting for his murderers to find him, as he knew they would in time. He had kept ahead of them for the past few years, but knew his time was fast running out.

Rather than death, however, what startled the gentleman was a ring from his telephone. He put his tea down and answered the phone without turning on any lights. On the other side, he heard a constant thrum of background noise as if the caller were in a plane or automobile, and a low, raspy voice. "A ship has crashed."

"One of them?" the well-manicured man said.

"No. Something else. Something came out of it and killed one of them. Truly killed it. Shortly afterward they came for me."

The gentleman nodded, though no one could see him. "What are they doing now?"

"They are trying to cover it up. But they can't. Too many officials know about the crash."

"What do you suggest?"

"We direct other assets to the party."

The gentleman sighed. "The Syndicate is all but gone, my friend. You and I are all that remains. We have failed."

"We have. But others might not." For the first time ever, since hearing the speaker on the other side a lifetime ago, the gentleman heard a hint of hope in the other's voice. "I'm on my way to him now."

"Do as you must, then," he said. He looked up and saw a shadow standing less than a foot away that was not there a moment ago. "It seems you are the last one left now, my friend. My time has come." He put the phone down.

The shadow struck. In a beautiful country estate in Somerset, England, a well-manicured head fell to the floor. His body fell a moment later.


	3. Blue Hair

Ancient lantean--I appreciate you reading and reviewing. I may not be getting a lot of reviews, but at least I know from the hits that people are taking a look! As for Kyle--it's a pretty old concept in Sci Fi. Card used it extensively in Ender's Game and the sequels. Kyle chose to fly through space at relativistic speeds resulting in time dilation. The closer you come to the speed of light, the slower time progresses for you relative to the rest of the universe. It's not a big deal in the GFFA because of hyperspace.

Speaking of Kyle Katarn...

* * *

**Chapter 3: Blue Hair**

Ossus, Auril Sector

130 ABY

3 Days Post GFFA

Darth Scraggus dreamed of power. It was a dream he had harbored since his youth on Nar Shaddaa—a youth spent watching the powerful abuse and control the weak.

Scraggus was not considered by his Sith brethren to be the strongest of their kind, but Krayt himself had noted his overwhelming devotion and loyalty. Between his devotion to Krayt and the power he did have, Scraggus was named a fully ranked Dark Lord of the Sith.

During the invasion and destruction of the Jedi Praxeum at Ossus, Darth Krayt had selected his hand, Darth Nihl, to be the overall commander. However, since Nihl had gone missing the day of the attack and the majority of the Imperial and Sith strike force had left to pursue the remnants of the defeated Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, clean-up fell to Darth Scraggus.

It was a task the Rodian was perfectly suited for. Just in the past ten hours of occupying the planet he and his taskforce had uncovered and wiped out two cells of Jedi padawans, two full knights, and almost fifty civilians, mostly women and children. Scraggus had no qualms about killing humans, and the non-humans he left to his underlings.

The Praxeum itself had been reduced to a pile of rubble, but underneath the rubble the Dark Lord knew there were several kilometers of tunnels and hidden passages in which Jedi could hide.

It was during his search of one of the tunnels under the Praxeum with two of his warriors that the _Pellaeon-_class star destroyer in orbit contacted him. "Darth Scraggus," the Imperial captain said with due deference to a Sith, "we attempted and failed to intercept a small ship entering the planet's atmosphere approximately half an hour ago. The ship appeared to be Sekotan in design, but had no transponder and did not respond to hails."

"Why am I only now learning of this?" Scraggus demanded.

"We wanted to ascertain its precise landing point first, M'lord. We have finally determined the ship landed half a kilometer away from your location."

"Thank you, Captain," Scraggus said, while making a mental note to kill the captain for incompetence when he returned. In the meantime, he would continue his search. Behind him followed his two most skilled and vicious warriors.

He came at last to the spot where his last search had ended when he found a lone, wounded Jedi knight he quickly killed. There was still blood and burns on the walls and floor to mark the fighting. Scraggus continued past the now empty room until at last he came to a locked door that appeared to be the last in this particular passage.

He raised his hand and pushed with the Force, but to no avail. Snarling at the apparent failure in front of his warriors, he whipped out his saber and chopped the door down. Inside he saw nothing but darkness.

He directed his two warriors to enter first with Scraggus a step behind. He had not moved two steps into the shadows when he saw a flash of purple light and the sound of one of his Chagrian warriors screaming that was cut shockingly short.

A moment later the lights turned on. Two Sith warriors lay dead at the feet of a normal sized human male with a graying beard and hair and broad, strong shoulders. "Another dead Jedi," Darth Scraggus snarled in Huttese.

"You think?" the man responded in the same language. Darth Scraggus lunged directly toward the Jedi's chest with Force-enhanced speed, but then backed away in shock, staring at the charred stump of his arm. His eyes automatically sought the spot a meter away where his arm fell.

He screamed as the purple blade removed his second arm at the elbow. Suddenly a strong hand wrapped itself around his neck, lifted him bodily, and then slammed him back into the floor. "Now, little Sithy," the Jedi said. "You're going to tell me how many Jedi got away, and how many prisoners you took."

"No prisoners," Scraggus said, immediately falling back into his childhood role of the weaker party obeying the stronger. "Darth Krayt's orders were to destroy the whole population."

"How many escaped?" the man growled.

"Three shuttles. One had the Skywalker child on it with Master Sazen and the younglings. Another shuttle of younglings escaped, plus a third shuttle that had a single pilot. A girl."

"Where you there during the invasion?"

"Yes."

"Did you see this girl?"

"Blue hair," the Rodian gasped.

The Jedi stood up. "Tell me now, little Sithy, what do you prefer—death at the hands of your masters for failing, or by mine for being such an idiot?"

"My master will eat your heart, you Jedi scum…" The Rodian's mouth continued to move for a second or two after his head was severed, but without breath no sound emerged.

"By my hand, then," the man said. He turned back to the secondary security control panel. "Computer, resume search for shuttle transponders."

"Search completed, data transferred to data chip," the computer announced. "Shuttle 224-64V and Shuttle 128-4c entered random headings at standard hyperspace. Downloading additional data requested. Shuttle 234-2B entered non-standard hyperspace at approximately 13:00 hours to heading 00234.456 by 04591.147 North of galactic ecliptic."

The heading numbers seemed odd. "Why are there extra digit headings?"

"Fourth and fifth whole digits represents likely distance. Hyperspace trajectory and speed suggest extra-galactic destination. Non-standard hyperspace entry indicates ship was at .99 of _c_ at the time of entry into hyperspace. Cronau inversion resulted in supra-hyperspacial speed."

He blinked, then shrugged. "I'll figure it out later." The Jedi downloaded as much of the data on the machine as he could, recording every image of every knight, master and padawan falling to the horror of war. He watched with narrow eyes and a clenched jaw, only grunting at the most gruesome or heart-wrenching moments. He knew that other Jedi in years past had endured similar moments, watching readings of Darth Vader slaughtering the Jedi in their own temple. It was a vicious case of repeating history that broke the Jedi's heart.

When he had as much data as he could download, he activated his lightsaber and started cutting into the computer itself. It was more than a means of denying the Sith additional security information. It was also a way for him to announce that he was back. Jedi did not seek revenge, but they did seek justice, and this particular Jedi had a very long memory.

When the Jedi left, sparks and smoke rose from gashes cut into the shape of letters in the control panels. The letters read: "Kyle Katarn lives."

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico

Thursday, January 17, 2002

10:34 p.m. Mountain Time

"Are you sure you have her?" Maria asked.

"She's not that heavy," Michael assured his girlfriend as he carried the blue-haired alien into his apartment. Maria closed the door behind him, and then turned on the lights.

Max Evans was asleep on the couch, one arm thrown over his eyes, his chest bare. "Oooh la la," Maria said as the light woke Max with a start. "Put a shirt on, boy," she continued. "You're getting me all hot and bothered."

"Maria, Michael?" Max asked. "I thought you were camping? And who's the girl?"

"We were camping," Michael said. "This girl kind of dropped in on us. She's an alien, Max!"

Max jumped to his feet as Michael carried the unconscious alien into his bedroom and deposited her on his bed. Again, Maria got the lights and then stood at the foot of the bed between Michael and Max. The girl on the bed did not move.

"She's pretty," Maria noted. "I just love that hair."

"Where'd she come from?" Max asked.

Michael quickly filled his friend in on what happened. "So you think she's one of us?" Max asked when Michael was done.

Michael shook his head. "Don't think so. She felt sorta human. You're the healer—why don't you go check."

With a shrug, Max sat on the bed next to her and held his hand out over her, his fingers clawed slightly as if attempting to palm a basketball. "She's human," he finally said. "There're a few strange things about her, but nothing really alien. She's definitely not a Skin."

He closed his eyes and ran his hand down the length of her leg. White light glared from his palm, but then immediately died away. "I can't heal her," he said, surprised. "She has a broken leg, damage to her lungs and a concussion, but I can't help her. Something is blocking me."

The girl opened eyes of such a shocking color of blue that Maria gasped. "Those can't be real," she said.

The alien looked from Maria and Michael, to Max. She whispered something, but no one could understand her words.

"My name is Max," he told her. "I can help you if you let me."

She studied him for the longest time before she finally nodded. He held his hand over her chest while she watched, and let his power flow. As always when Max healed someone, he had flashes of memories exchanged, images. Max saw people screaming, a woman crying out a name as she burned.

The girl's eyes widened in alarm at the connection and power, but she made no move as he healed her. He moved his hand to her leg, and finally to her head. She watched him intently the entire time. When he was done, she said a word.

"What was that?" Michael asked.

"Sounded like Jed Aye or something," Maria noted.

Max knew it was a question, though, something she was asking him. "No, I'm not a Jedi."

She spoke again, and Max nodded. "Yes, we're friends. You can rest now. We'll protect you until you wake."

The girl nodded and smiled at him faintly before closing her eyes. At the foot of the bed, Michael and Maria shared a knowing look before turning their attention to Max. "Let me guess," Maria said. "You healed her and got a flash."

Max ducked his head, and then looked back at the alien on Michael's bed "More than a flash," he said. "She has power, but I just don't know what kind. She's definitely not from around here, though. When I healed her, it's like we formed a mental bond. I don't really know the language, but I can tell what she means."

"Max, if you hurt Liz again…"

"It's not like that," Max assured her. "Promise."

* * *

Jesus and Guadalupe Eschevez came to America from Mexico illegally in 1984 as farm workers. They applied for and became legal citizens in a ceremony in 1992 after 8 years and six children in the country. Jesus worked for Fort Sumner High School as the facilities manager, a job he obtained in 1994. His wife worked at an elementary school in the cafeteria. Their combined income was less than $40,000.00.

In 2000, after saving and working hard for six years, they were able to move their family of eight out of the two bedroom apartment they shared and into a four bedroom house with a lawn and two bathrooms. It was the fulfillment of all their dreams; Guadalupe was actually crying as they moved their meager possessions into the house.

Although Jesus and Guadalupe did not speak any English, all of their children did. However, those children were sleeping soundly in their rooms when the dark figure entered the house. Therefore, when Jesus awoke to the red-eyed nightmare hovering over his bed, his cries were in Spanish.

He instinctively looked over to Guadalupe and cried in horror when he saw that she was already dead. He looked back at the nightmare, who reached down and grabbed his forehead with a cold, clammy hand. The figure spoke words that were meaningless to Jesus, and then began raping the husband and father of six of every thought he had.

When it was done, and Jesus was dead, the figure straightened. "Be honored," he said in Mexican-accented Spanish. "You died at the hands of a Sith."

When Inri, their oldest, came in the next morning to see why his parents were not up yet, he found his mother bisected length-wise, and his father staring up at the ceiling with a stricken grimace of pain on his pale, cold face.


	4. Pieces on a Board

**ancient lantean**--Good questions all. If you go back and read the very first chapter, Kol Skywalker tells Siana that "her guardian" has been contacted. That's Kyle. He has assumed a guardianship role over the entire Delun family, and in the event of an emergency will come to their aid. The Jedi Order is aware of his role because of Anakin Skywalker's formal approval of Kyle's mission back in Gods of Dark adn Light. Granted, I don't really say all that explicitly in the story, but that's what's going on.

**Jedi Master Sabbath**--It's almost easier to ask what it's not crossed over with. However, this chapter does line up the majority of the remaining important characters, at least in Part I. The dominant characters are from X-Files, Roswell, Stargate-SG1, and a few historical figures from Star Trek. (No Kirk, Spock or Picard. Only people who by ST cannon were on or about Earth in 2002). The way I think about it though is that the story simply takes place on Earth. For a complete Dramatis Personae, look at my Forums. I also give story background for each primary series used, especially ST, which I borrowed from a series of books.

Just wait until Kyle Katarn meets Jack O'Neill and Teal'c.

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**Chapter 4: Pieces on a Board**

Portage Creek, Indiana, Friday, January 18, 2002, 4:22 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)

"Henry," Shannon said.

Henry grunted.

"Henry, there's someone at the door."

Henry grunted again and then, muttering under his breath, climbed out of the bed. His lifting the blankets allowed a rush of cold air to hit Shannon's back and she shivered, suddenly awake. Downstairs, she heard male voices. A moment later, Henry returned, clad in his heavy wool robe. "Men downstairs to see you," he muttered. "Military men."

With his message delivered, Henry Janeway climbed back into bed and fell promptly back to sleep.

Shannon O'Donnell Janeway sighed and got up to slip on her own robe. She made her way down the stairs, trying to figure out who it could be. Her current work was as a part-time consulting engineer with the Millennium Gate project, which was getting ready to break ground soon. She hadn't had any dealings with the military since she was fired from Groom's Lake.

As she left the stairs and saw the two men in military uniforms and the third man in the dark overcoat and suit, she had an overwhelming suspicion this had something to do with her research at her former place of employment, more colloquially known as Area 51.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Dr. Shannon O'Donnell?" the man in the suit asked.

"It's Janeway now," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"May we come in?"

"No. What can I do for you?" Aside from the god-awful hour, Shannon was four months pregnant with her first child. She felt justified in a little directed rudeness.

Another man suddenly appeared from behind the two Air Force officers and the suit. "Hello, Shannon," Dr. Jackson Roykirk said. Roykirk was a morose looking man with a devilish goatee on the end of his chin and thinning dark hair. "It really is cold out here. Can we talk just for a moment?"

"Fine," Shannon said. "But you should know better than to wake up a pregnant woman."

"Noted," Roykirk said with as much of a smile as he was physically capable of summoning. He led the small party into the unlit living room. "We won't stay long, Shannon. I was hoping, you see, to recruit you."

"For what?"

"There's been another crash. Not in Roswell this time, but very close. We have the ship."

For a moment, Shannon forgot everything—her pregnancy, her husband, the Millennium Gate—everything. "Did we recover the pilot?"

"Not this time, and that's a mystery in and of itself. But we have the ship, and it's intact. We have it stored at Roger's Air Force Base in New Mexico just because of the sheer difficulty in moving it. The White House has authorized a joint task force to study the object this time. I'd like you to be a part of the research team."

Shannon collapsed on the couch. "Jackson, I'm pregnant! I've got a job. I've got a husband. And…" She paused, remembering the events of just a few years ago. "And I lost all my security clearances after the DY-100 episode. I'm not even sure you could hire me, legally. And anyway, I can't just ditch it all and leave."

"As for security clearance, I have authorization to be here, and to offer you fifteen thousand a month, with a minimum payment of $60,000.00 regardless of the length of service."

Shannon blinked. "What?"

"That's your salary. You have direct experience working with alien artifacts at Groom's Lake. Since you left, the artifacts have been flowing in, but you were still one of the leaders in the field, and were instrumental in finishing the DY-100 sleeper ship, regardless of what happened to it afterward. Your accomplishments make you ideal for this project."

That was a lot of money for the wife of a bookstore owner whose work constituted less than half time. "And my pregnancy?"

"Not an issue. We want the mind; we're willing to work with the rest. We also guarantee free flights back here every weekend if you wish, or flights for your husband to visit you in Fort Sumner or Roswell, in New Mexico, whatever your preference. Naturally, he won't be allowed on Rogers."

"I'll have to discuss it with Henry."

"Okay," Roykirk said, and then waited.

"You mean I have to decide now?"

"Time is of the essence," Roykirk said.

With an irritated grunt, Shannon trudged back up the stairs. "Henry, wake up," she said.

Henry grunted.

She turned on the nightstand lamp and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. The man could sleep through anything but…she turned on his alarm and he snapped awake. "What is it?" he said, his eyes still closed.'

"Henry, are you awake now?"

He opened his eyes. "What's happening, Shannon?"

"Those men downstairs offered me a job in New Mexico."

"That's a long way away," Henry noted, looking at her slightly swollen abdomen.

"They'd fly you out to see me on the weekends, or me back home."

"We'd only see each other a couple of days a week," Henry complained, obviously not thrilled with the idea.

"They want to pay me $15,000.00 a month, with a minimum of $60,000.00 guaranteed just for saying yes."

He nodded. "Okay, better get packing. Love you, Sweetheart." He kissed her, turned off his light, and in moments was back soundly asleep.

"Love you too," she said, lovingly caressing his cheek.

* * *

Colorado Springs, CO, Friday, January 18, 2002, 3:25 a.m. MT

Major Samantha Carter could not sleep.

The past year had been difficult for the major, and not just because she had to save the world almost on a weekly basis. It was more than that.

In the past few months, Sam had lost three men from her life. Granted, two she had only just gained in her life in the same timeframe, but that did not reduce the loss. First, she befriended and even began to fall in love with a being named Orlin who was from a race that had ascended beyond physical bodies, only to have him take physical form, sacrifice himself to save earth from its own stupidity, and then be forced to re-ascend and leave the mortal plane forever. Then she met a U.S. Ambassador named Joe Flaxon with whom she immediately formed a romantic connection, only to have to leave him on an alien ship intent on annihilating the entire human race on earth. And, on top of all that, there was Narim.

Thinking of the kind alien and his open infatuation choked her up, even now. Not only was he dead, but as far as they knew, his entire race had been destroyed to protect Earth from his own government's treachery.

Then, to add insult to injury, she was kidnapped by a dying billionaire who somehow thought she could help him cheat death.

As she sat on her front porch, wrapped up in a down blanket and sipping hot cocoa while watching her breath puff in the cold, still mountain air of Colorado, Samantha Carter realized that she was tired. She was tired of being alone, of having those few people who could change that loneliness taken away from her, and of having to save the world every damned week.

She fought a sudden urge to call Colonel O'Neill.

"Sam, is that you?" a voice said.

Sam sat up and looked over the waist-high gate around her front porch. "Daniel? What are you doing out here at this time of the morning?"

Dr. Daniel Jackson walked up and helped himself to a chair while keeping his hands in his pockets. "Duty," he said. "Major Davis and some NID guy named Woolsey want us to go to New Mexico."

Sam bit back an angry retort and sipped her hot cocoa. "They couldn't wait until morning to tell me?"

Daniel checked his watch. "It is morning," he observed helpfully, before smiling. "Seriously, it seems there was a UFO crash in New Mexico. We've checked with our contacts off-world and none of them claim any knowledge of it. A satellite caught it as it emerged from hyperspace right outside our atmosphere, and it went into an uncontrolled reentry."

"Who was flying it?"

"Hasn't been identified yet, but they're dangerous. The advanced team was found dead. But get this—evidently the ship hit the ground going nearly the speed of sound and apparently had no hull damage at all. The hull material alone makes it worth the time. But it's a joint project with Groom's Lake, the Army, NID, NSA and even the FBI, so we won't be able to divulge SG-1 except to the highest officers."

Sam looked and saw the car Daniel came in. Though not clear in the darkness, she could make out the silhouette of a head in the driver's seat. "Air Force?"

"Worse," Daniel said, without even having to ask who she meant. "NID. That's Woolsey. He's an unpleasant little bureaucrat. But Hammond told us to go, so we're going."

She sipped her cocoa and looked up at the stars. "You okay, Sam?" Daniel asked, soothingly.

"It's been a bad couple of months," she admitted.

He pulled out a hand, and took her free one in his. "The Stargate has changed us all," he said. "Who knew five years ago that I'd be using artificial wormholes to traipse about the galaxy fighting evil Goa'uld and their Jaffa slaves. It's changed not just our world, but all of us who have walked through it. It allowed me to meet my wife, and allowed the Goa'uld to then take her away from me. It's allowed us to travel across the galaxy, but hasn't improved things here at all. The only thing that I can say has been truly good about being a part of SG-1 is getting to know you, Teal'c and Jack. Mainly you and Teal'c, since Jack can be an ass sometimes. But you are perhaps the best friend I've ever had, and I'll be there if you need to talk."

She watched, astounded by Daniel's words. "Thank you," was all she could think to say.

He abruptly stood up. "So, ten minutes to pack, you think?"

* * *

Washington, D.C., Friday, January 18, 2002, 4:52 a.m. EST

Special Agent Fox Mulder sat up in bed with a gun in his hand.

A man sat beside his bed, reeking of unwashed sweat and cigarettes. Without moving the barrel of the gun away from its target, Mulder reached for and turned on his lamp. What he saw was an aging, severely ill man with long, stringy white hair sitting in a folding chair next to his bed.

"You stink," Mulder said without a hint of a smile.

The man grinned weakly. "I'll smell worse after I'm dead," he whispered. "Won't be long now. I might even die before they get to kill me." This seemed to cause him a great deal of mirth, evident through a wheezing dry cough.

Mulder swung his legs off the edge of the bed. "I should kill you."

"But you won't," the man said. "There was a crash tonight. Just a few hours ago. I saw it come down in New Mexico. Our enemies want it covered up."

"Is it one of theirs?"

"No," the lifetime smoker said with another wheezing chuckle. "In fact, whatever flew it even killed one of them. They are desperate to find the being that flew it and destroy it at all costs. And to destroy the ship, if they can. But there are other forces at work, forces they did not even know about." He leaned forward. "They were coming to colonize the planet, Mulder. In 2012. The Mayans knew it hundreds of years ago—that's why their calendar ends on that date. It is the end of Earth. Or it was. But something about this ship has scared them."

"You're full of crap," Mulder said. "You always have been."

The old man straightened. "You have no idea what I have seen," he said. "What I have done. What I've had to do. It's all been for nothing. The Syndicate is dead. Everything I worked for was lost." He began coughing, and this time the coughing wracked his whole body. When he removed his hand, Mulder saw a line of blood flowing down the old man's chin.

"They tried to kill me tonight," he said. "I had a jet waiting and got away. But they can't afford for me to stay alive. I know too much. And if they don't kill me first, the cancer will kill me soon anyway." He reached into his stained shirt and pulled out a thick manila envelope. "This is everything I have. Dates, contacts, names. There are alien hybrid soldiers walking around today—you've already met some. They are already attempting to gain control of the Army. They are going to find the pilot of this crashed ship and kill it."

He slumped in his chair. "Gather your colleagues," he said at last. "Go to New Mexico. Find the pilot. Save it. If our enemies are scared of it, then we must protect it."

The old man stood slowly and coughed again. "Your father would be proud of you," he finally said, before stumbling away into the darkness of Mulder's apartment.

After Mulder heard the front door close, he stood, turned every light in the apartment on, and then did a complete search for any other unexpected visitors. Finally, he returned to his bed and picked up the envelope. It only took a few seconds looking at it for him to make up his mind and pick up the phone. After six rings, he heard the other side answer.

"Scully, how'd you like to go to New Mexico?" he asked.

* * *

Galactic Halo, 130 ABY, 3 Days Post GFFA

Heimdall studied the holotransmissions from the fallen Galactic Federation of Free Alliances and the Galactic Empire that defeated it. The situation did not look good.

The Asgard researcher stood less than a meter and a half tall, with spindly arms and legs and a very large head housing a very large brain which at that moment was calculating the probable casualties in the civil war the galaxy had just suffered through. The slaughter of the Jedi at Ossus was especially appalling.

In fact, he was in the process of shutting down his survey of the galaxy to return to his new research project in another galaxy when he received a most unexpected message.

"Asgard Vessel," a voice announced through the ship's sensors. "This is Jedi Master Kyle Katarn. I request permission to speak with you."

Heimdall was curious about the transmission for several reasons. For one, Heimdall knew a Kyle Katarn from the Ori war. Based on that knowledge, he calculated Katarn would be over 150 years old by now, an age humans simply did not reach. Second, his ship was located outside the ecliptic of the galaxy and outside of intergalactic space itself, and so there was no reason why any ship would be passing through. Third, and most interesting, was that his ship was cloaked by the most powerful Asgard cloaking technology available and should have been invisible to any known sensor. Yet there was a Jedi Master he himself had met one hundred and thirty years before asking to speak to him.

His curiosity piqued, he activated the transport beam, and the venerable Jedi Master stood before him. "How interesting," he said. "You do not appear to be as old as you should be."

Kyle blinked and reached out with his senses before he could truly identify the alien. Visually, the Asgard were all almost identical. "Heimdall," he said, remembering the Force signature. "Thank you for seeing me."

"You are welcome, Kyle Katarn. Why are you not dead of old age by now?"

Kyle smiled. "Time dilation," he said.

"Ahhh," Heimdall nodded. "Very clever. However, why would you wish to travel your galaxy at relativistic speed in order to slow your personal passage of time?"

"A promise I made to look after a family," he explained. "And that's why I'm here now. I need help only the Asgard can give me."

"Our resources are not what they once were," Heimdall warned, "but of course I will aid you in any way I can."


	5. Little Girl Blue

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**ancient lantean**--Kyle needs a ride, my friend. And thank you for reading!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Little Girl Blue**

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 7:10 a.m. MST

Isabel Evans Ramirez sat down to a bowl of cereal and watched as Jesse, her husband of just a few months (forty-eight days, to be exact), sipped his coffee and read the paper.

Jesse was ten years older than Isabel, who had just turned 18 not long ago and graduated early from high school. The age difference caused a riff with her parents, who threatened not to attend the wedding. Complicating things even more was the fact that Jesse, an attorney, worked for her father. And that was just the mundane stuff.

"So what's going on in your life?" Jesse asked absently, half listening while he continued to read and sip his coffee.

In her mind, this is what Isabel Evans Ramirez said to her husband of forty-eight days: "_Well, let's see, Jesse. I'm really an alien princess named Volondra from a planet called Antar somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. My brother Max is also an alien and was the king of Antar before I betrayed him and my whole planet by helping my alien lover Kivar overthrow my brother's government and kill my brother, his wife, my husband and myself. Then our mother salvaged our DNA and merged it with human DNA to make alien/hybrid clones of us so the Antar resistance could still claim to have a king. Only, the clone of my brother's former alien wife turned out to be homicidal and killed my human boyfriend here on Earth just as he was starting to be my boyfriend, then ran back to Antar with Max's unborn son. In his crazy quest to find that son, Max convinced his girlfriend Liz to help him fake an armed robbery of a convenience store to investigate a secret lab that held the rebuilt ship that brought us here. They got caught and Liz almost went to jail, and our adopted human father went nuts, so Max is banned from seeing Liz, the girl of his dreams, and he moved out of the house so he wouldn't have to tell our dad what was actually happening. And this morning while you were in the shower my brother, the former alien king, called and told me that Michael, my former alien husband, pulled yet another alien out of a crashed UFO in Fort Sumner last night and they want to have a meeting with all us aliens and our human friends to talk about it, and you're not invited because I love you too much to drag you into this whole alien mess that I call my life_."

That is what she said to her husband in her mind.

In the real world, this is what Isabel Evans Ramirez actually said to her husband of forty-eight days: "Oh, not much. Maybe some shopping with mom. How 'bout you?"

Later, after Jesse was gone, Isabel dressed, climbed into her car, and drove to the other side of the city to the ugly apartment complex where Michael Guerin lived and where Max had fled after walking out on their parents.

Isabel was not surprised to find Maria there as well. Maria practically lived in the apartment with Michael. Nor was she surprised to see Liz Parker there.

Truthfully, Isabel liked Liz, but still didn't want to admit it. Max risked his life, and the lives of Isabel and Michael, to heal her three years ago, and by exposing his powers, even just to her, he had caused everyone problems. But not even Isabel could deny the passion she saw between them whenever they looked into each other's eyes. It was almost sickening.

The presence that did surprise her, however, was Jim Valenti, the former Sheriff of Roswell and a one-time enemy turned closest ally. Valenti sacrificed his job to protect Isabel, Max and Michael, and she trusted him with her life. She just didn't know why he was there.

Then, there was the girl with the blue hair, who sat on the edge of a folding chair with an apprehensive but controlled expression on her face. She was a beautiful girl, with an exotic cast to her face. She looked to Isabel like an amalgam of all the Hollywood actresses she once dreamed of being. She saw in the alien girl Winona Ryder's eyes set in Rosamund Pike's face (or maybe Katherine Heigl) with Jessica Alba's complexion and Halle Berry's body.

Of course, the girl's electric blue eyes and blue hair was unlike any actress Isabel knew about.

"Isabel," Max said in relief. "We're glad you're here."

"So this is the alien?" Isabel said.

"Yes. Her name is Siana. Her ship crashed in Lake Sumner last night."

Isabel held up a hand and gave her best fake smile. "Hi," she said brightly.

The girl held up a hand in imitation of Isabel and said, "Eiyy."

"She doesn't speak any language I know about," Max said.

"Which is what, English and bad English?" Maria quipped.

"Or Spanish," Liz said. "Or French. And Mr. Valenti tried a smattering of German on her too."

_God_, Isabel thought to herself with a shake of her head, _I love them, but they are all idiots!_ "So it surprises any of you that an alien from another planet doesn't speak any Earth languages?"

"Of course not," Liz snapped. "We're not all idiots." Isabel looked away guiltily. "We just had to make sure. Somehow she can understand Max, but no one else."

_That was interesting!_ Suddenly Isabel understood the tension she saw in Liz's face. Liz was a lithe, dark-headed beauty who had always had Max's eye, but last year there was the whole thing with Tess, who they all found out had been Max's wife in another life, and Liz was never the same. Now, she seemed to be facing _déjà vu_ with Max and the alien girl.

Only this time, when Isabel studied the alien girl's face, she didn't sense any duplicity there. She saw a few well-hidden hints of fear, but a fear wrapped up very securely behind a blanket of forced calm.

Isabel stepped between her brother and friends to kneel before the girl. She held out her hand again, and after a moment the girl accepted it. The moment they touched, Isabel felt a wave of power emanating from the alien, a power unlike anything she had felt before.

"Who are you?" Isabel asked.

"I am Siana Delun, Jedi padawan," the girl said. She spoke in her own language, but like with Max, Isabel could understand. Somehow, the alien was telepathic.

Nearby, Isabel heard Michael huff. "This is just not fair!" he muttered. "Why didn't that work for me?"

Ignoring him, she said: "My name is Isabel. Max here is my brother. We are not entirely of this world ourselves."

With a shy smile, Siana said: "I had guessed. Your brother, the one called Mikall, you, and to a smaller extent the girl named Liz—your presences in the Force are unlike anything I have sensed. I am thankful for your help, but I am unsure why I am here, and Max did not tell me. You are obviously not of this world—why would there be a need to hide me from your government?"

Isabel turned to Max. "She wants to know why she can't just contact our government. Did you flash with her? Could you send her a vision of what the government did to you when they had you?"

Max nodded, and with a look at Liz as if for permission (Isabel stifled a sigh) he reached out and took Isabel's and Siana's joined hands. He closed his eyes, and sent out his memories of a white room; of being tortured with drugs, ice water, sleep deprivation, with the threat of all his loved ones being killed, and finally with vivisection.

When he pulled his hand away, Siana stared at him with tears in her eyes and a tremble in her lower lip. "They would do that to us?" she whispered in her language. "By the Force, what kind of planet is this?"

"It's a planet that has never officially received an alien visitor," Max said aloud. "They are afraid of us—of you. It was sheer luck Michael was near the crash site. We want to help you until you can recover your ship and return to your home."

Isabel watched as the alien girl put her face in her hands and took a large breath. She sat up and began whispering something to herself. "Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force. Be at peace, padawan. Be at peace." After a moment, her face fell back into the controlled expression she had before. "What should I do?"

Max echoed the question to the others, but Isabel ignored the discussion, especially when Michael started jabbering about leaving Roswell again. Instead, she studied the alien girl, who studied her in return.

"Your hair is very beautiful," Isabel said softly as Valenti pointed out to Michael what a red flag that would raise to all the authorities. "Humans on this planet do not have hair that color."

Siana reached out and touched her locks. "My one vanity," she said in her own language. "On this world, do you have a means of changing hair colors?"

"I can do it," Isabel said.

Siana nodded. "Your brother, Michael and you have strange powers. In many ways, you are like a Jedi. I sense you in the Force, and I feel you could probably learn to harness it if necessary. But other times—your brother healed me. Not as a Jedi would, but by changing the molecules in my body until they were whole. How can this be?"

"We don't fully understand our own powers," Isabel admitted. "Like how we can talk to each other now? But we do know we can control molecular structures. Like this." With a wave of her hand over Siana's hair, the blue turned black. The rest of the group fell silent and stared.

"She looks perfectly normal," Valenti noted in awe.

"Her eyes are a bit extreme," Maria said. "But yeah, without the blue hair she looks pretty normal."

Isabel smiled. "You look perfect," she said. "Welcome to Earth, Siana Delun."

* * *

Just under forty miles away, in an Air Force Base that was decommissioned four years ago, a new army moved in. 

A fleet of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters flew in from Albuquerque and began landing in the long-unused tarmac of the base. People of every description climbed out and ran toward the large hangar building, where two soldiers stood to guide them to the appropriate spots.

As Fox Mulder climbed out of his ride with Special Agents Dana Scully and John Doggett by his side, he was struck by the sheer number and variety of the people involved. He saw Army and Air Force uniforms, but also a whole cadre of men and women in suits and ties, and still more in jeans and pullovers who carried themselves with the air of engineers and scientists.

"This isn't like any UFO crash recovery I've seen," Scully muttered.

"New president," Mulder said. "The policies have changed a little. We'd better get going or we'll miss the briefing."

"Mulder!" Scully said, pointing to one of the men in suits climbing out from a nearby Blackhawk. "Isn't that Tennenbaum?"

Behind them, Doggett said, "Who's Tennenbaum?"

"Special Unit," Mulder answered. "There was a small unit of alien hunters, a legacy of the '47 crash. They were disbanded after a few members of the unit were apparently killed by the Special Agent in Charge, a man named Pierce."

"Sounds like nice guys," Doggett said. A no-nonsense veteran both of the first Gulf War and the New York Police Department, Doggett was a straight shooter who was still trying to figure out what he was doing on the X-files in the first place.

"Well, Deputy Director Kersch personally selected all current FBI agents for this taskforce," Scully said, "so he must have his reasons for all of us being here."

Mulder nodded but continued to watch Tennenbaum closely.

Once inside the building, they and another large group of personnel were held in a small white room lined with stomach-high shelves. An Army captain was handing out stapled packets, and thrust one into each of the three FBI agents' hands. "Please read the entire document. A notary will be by shortly to attest to your signature."

Mulder glanced at it, and immediately saw a National Security agreement. He read through it quickly, scanning for key words. Those words included "treason", "lifetime imprisonment" and "termination". He doubted the last was the pink-slip kind.

The notaries were three lieutenants who carried log and signature books, and who quickly went through checking IDs and signatures before signing and stamping each packet. When that was done, they were separated into two rooms. Mulder couldn't help but notice that all of the people in suits and ties were ushered into one room, while the rest were moved to a second.

After the last of the people shuffled into the spook room, Mulder estimated there were nearly fifty federal agents present, not including the cadre of soldiers standing at the cardinal points of the room. Finally, an Army colonel entered the room through a side door and strode purposefully toward a podium standing at the front center of the room.

The colonel was a young man, with hair so close-cropped Mulder could see his scalp, and a hard, aggressive set to his eyes and out-thrust chin. "Good morning," the colonel said. "My name is Colonel Phillip Green. By order of the President of the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Department of Justice, I have been given overall command of Operation Recovery for the duration of this project.

"All of you should have read and signed your National Security agreement. Failure to sign this document will result in your immediate detention pending removal from this base. What we are about to discuss and see has been classified Top Secret and is on a need to know basis. Some of you may know more about what we do than others, and some of you may purposely be limited to a specific task. Do not ask for more than you are given. I also do not wish to ruin your first day with threats, but rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that the highest levels of authority in this country have authorized any level of coercion or force necessary to keep the information learned here safe and secure. For that reason, no one will be allowed off this base without specific permission. And permission will be given only to those personnel brought here specifically to conduct research off the base. For this group, that means most of you. For the remainder of this briefing, I wish to introduce Senior Agent in Charge Ronald Tennenbaum of the FBI."

Mulder and Scully shared a surprised look. Last they had heard, Tennenbaum was on the bottom of a very long list before even being considered for an SAC position. With a curt nod the colonel left the room as the FBI agent stepped to the podium.

Tennenbaum was a thin man with thin hair and a slightly pale complexion. He wore a dark gray suit and walked stiffly to the podium with a sheath of papers in hand. "Thank you, Colonel. Ladies and gentlemen, many of you have a good idea why you are here, others may not. The following is what I have been authorized to release to all Operation Recovery personnel. At approximately 9:45 p.m. local time last night, a craft of unknown origin entered the earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and crashed into Lake Sumner, New Mexico, forty miles east of this base. A preliminary analysis of the ship indicates the presence of a non-terrestrial element the FBI has named Cadmium-X. This element was found in the severed straps of the pilot seat and in a hole that had been burned into the hull of the ship that survived re-entry and a crash into the ground going the speed of sound. The general layout of the ship indicates the pilot was likely humanoid, and the presence of Cadmium-X indicates the pilot is likely very dangerous."

He lifted a remote and pointed it to an overhead projection screen. At the same time the lights dimmed, and on the left wall the room was treated to a picture of a dead body with a strange silver hand-print. "Forty-five years ago, another alien craft crashed near Roswell, New Mexico." He paused and laughed. "And yes, the '47 Roswell crash was real. Four alien beings were recovered—two were dead, one we studied for several years before dying, but the fourth escaped, and that fourth alien has proven itself to be a killer. This is a picture of Agent Lewis, the first head of the FBI Special Unit, who was killed in Colorado by the escaped alien in 1962."

Tennenbaum hit another button. "Agent del Bianco, 1967. Agent Summers, 1999."

He waited a moment for people to absorb the last date. Three years ago. "These agents were killed by heat. Their internal organs were heated to a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. And everyone had the handprint you see in this picture, and in their bones, every body had traces of Cadmium-X, which has never previously been found on Earth."

He hit another switch, and the projection switched from still photos to video feed. The camera was panning over a field of bodies lit by fresh floodlights. "This was taken seven hours ago. The bodies are of the first response team. All are dead. We have also just received notification from local authorities that a couple living on the other side of the lake were found murdered in their beds. One of the victim's wounds would seem to be similar to those of the first response team."

He paused again and looked dramatically around the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, aliens are among us. And they are deadly. You are the best of the best, representing the NSA, the FBI and the NID. Our task is to locate and capture the pilot of this vessel if at all possible, and if not, then we are to terminate this alien being with indiscriminate force. For the deaths of over fifty FBI personnel and civilians and the soldiers you see just now, this being and any like it have been declared a threat to National Security. I will act as SAC for the search mission. We will have a further briefing regarding the parameters of our search afterward. In the meantime, specific team briefings will be held in ten minutes. During these briefings you will be assigned quarters. If you find you are lacking in toiletries, please contact the quartermaster for your building. And again, we must remind you that everything from this day forward is classified Top Secret. Dismissed."

Mulder stood with the other agents and grinned down at Scully, who simply looked shocked. "I'm going to have so much fun with this," he said.

* * *

Dr. Daniel Jackson climbed out of the Blackhawk a step behind Major Carter. From the next helicopter, he noticed a familiar face. "Sam, isn't that Langham from Area 51?" 

Carter turned and saw the pale, dark-headed man in question. "Yeah, it is. I'm not surprised. This is the largest recovery effort I've heard of, at least since the '47 crash."

Daniel nodded to her manila folder. "Only this time they put you in charge of the research team, so it should go a bit smoother."

Carter smiled. She had read the entire dossier and instructions and memorized every word. "Lots of spooks here," she noted without approval.

"From what I understand, the pilot's at large and dangerous. There have been some deaths," Jackson said. "They're setting up a multi-departmental taskforce to search for it."

Along with a handful of Area 51 personnel who already had National Security agreements on file, Carter was led by one of the Army soldiers under Colonel Green's command into a large briefing room next to the hangar holding the ship. She watched attentively as a young corporal with a very large pimple on his left nostril walked her through the projection and wall controls.

Daniel hovered nearby, restraining an urge to leave. He was there as a linguist to help decipher writings found within the ship. He was not an engineer, and was not entirely comfortable in a room of some of the brightest engineers and scientists in the country.

One of the researchers approached as the two were talking. "Major Carter," the woman said in a thick voice that hinted of heavy drinking and cigarettes in her past. Daniel hoped that wasn't the case, however, seeing that she was obviously pregnant.

"You must be Dr. Janeway," Carter said. "Dr. Roykirk gave me your file and I have to say I was really impressed with the DY-100. You did amazing work based just on photos of the '47 crash."

Janeway blinked, instantly smitten by Carter's open smile and friendly manner. "Thank you! I'm afraid I didn't have a chance to do the same with you, but Jack Roykirk told me that you were the best the military had. I'm looking forward to working with you as well."

The rest of the team finally shuffled in, numbering perhaps seventy people all told, from every one of the sciences, and several prominent and experienced engineers. There were only four people from the X-303 project.

"So we're not supposed to mention the Stargate at all, are we?" Daniel asked.

Carter shook her head. "Not even the X-303 personnel know about the gate. I think of all the staff here, we and Langham are the only personnel with first-hand knowledge of the gate."

Daniel nodded. "Good to know, I suppose." He saw a young, angry-looking colonel approaching and quickly took his seat on the first row, close enough to hear every word.

"Major Carter," the Colonel said as he held out a perfunctory hand. "Green. I'll make a few announcements and then introduce you."

He said the sentence to both inform her and also to dismiss her to her seat. She nodded. "Of course sir," and quickly sat next to Daniel.

Colonel Green stepped back to the podium. "Thank you all. Please have a seat. My name is Colonel Phillip Green of the U.S. Army. By order of the President of the United States, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Department of Justice, I have been given overall command of Operation Recovery for the duration of this project.

"All of you who do not already have one on file should have read and signed your National Security agreement. Failure to sign this document will result in your immediate detention pending removal from this base. What we are about to discuss and see has been classified Top Secret and is on a need to know basis. Some of you may know more about what we do here than others, and some of you may purposely be limited to a specific task. Do not ask for more than you are given. I also do not wish to ruin your first day with threats, but rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that the highest levels of authority in this country have authorized any level of coercion or force necessary to keep the information learned here safe and secure. For that reason, no one will be allowed off this base without specific permission. And permission will be given only to those personnel brought here specifically to conduct research off the base, or in the case of Dr. Janeway, to those who are pregnant. I trust this last exception does not have to be extended to anyone else. For the remainder of this briefing, I wish to introduce Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force."

Daniel watched as Sam left her seat beside him and stepped to the podium. "Thank you, Colonel. As the colonel mentioned, my name is Major Samantha Carter. I hold multiple Ph.D.s in astrophysics, engineering and computer sciences. I have also had some experience in these matters. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we will be studying." Carter activated one of the controls the corporal had earlier pointed out, and behind her the entire wall began folding into itself to expose a room-wide row of windows. Directly behind the window sat…"It looks like a prop from _Starship Troopers_," one of the researchers said.

The comment elicited several laughs. In the corner where he sat, Colonel Green glared. Carter, however, chuckled. "You know, I thought the same thing. It's not what you expect from an alien ship. But don't let the appearance fool you. It is alien. The hull is made up of material we have never seen before, and its engines…well, that's another story. So, this is what the Engineering Team will be working on. I will be working closely with Dr. Janeway, who has several years of experience at Area 51 and will be a great asset to the project. Doctor Daniel Jackson there will head up the linguistic and xenopological team, while Doctors Roykirk and Shelby will head the computer and xenobiology teams. Thank you."

She stepped down, and Colonel Green quickly replaced her. "Thank you, Major. Specific team briefings will be held in ten minutes. During these briefings you will be assigned quarters. If you find you are lacking in toiletries, please contact the quartermaster for your building. And again, we must remind you that everything from this day forward is classified Top Secret. Dismissed."


	6. The Scenic Route to Earth

**Jedi Master Sabbath**--Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**ancient lantean**--Thank you. It's always fun to pick and choose which movies/shows you can refence in fanfic. Obviously I'm going to have to do something about Teal'c's love of Star Wars. ;)

**Tilius**--Thank you for reading!

**Chapter 6: The Scenic Route to Earth **

Intergalactic Space, 130 ABY, 4 Days following the Fall of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (GFFA)

"Kyle Katarn, I have received disturbing news," the Asgard Heimdall said.

Kyle sat cross-legged in a far corner of Heimdall's Asgard vessel, doing his best to meditate. It was difficult, but not because of his surroundings. Kyle Katarn, though considered during his time and in all the years that followed as one of the most powerful Jedi, did not like to meditate. At least, not sitting still like Luke Skywalker used to do. He had too many memories, good and bad, to achieve peace during inaction. If Kyle was ever able to achieve peace, it was while exercising and saber practice, which he knew he could not do within the confines of Heimdall's ship.

He sighed and opened his eyes. The Asgard stood before him, blinking huge black eyes. "I have been ordered to the Pegasus Galaxy to help defend our homeworld against the Replicators."

"Replicators?"

"The Replicators are a technologically advanced, hive-minded artificial life form that consumes technology, and if not resisted, whole worlds. They have swept through our space despite our initial advantage technologically, and are now threatening several of our worlds." The Asgard stopped speaking, but remained standing next to Kyle, staring.

He stared right back.

"I understand that you have fought in several conflicts," Heimdall finally said.

Kyle nodded. "I have. But I am on a very specific mission, Heimdall. I must get to this planet your sensors tracked Siana to."

The Asgard blinked. "Kyle Katarn, the entire Asgard race is on the brink of extinction. We aided your galaxy in your time of need against the Ori. I know because of its own wars your galaxy cannot reciprocate, but you, Master Jedi, could." He blinked again. "You have worked with Asgard before. You must realize what it means for me to even ask."

Even without his personal experience dealing with the dry and analytical beings, Kyle could feel Heimdall's desperation. "If I help you, will you get me to Earth?"

"I have been authorized by the Supreme Commander to do just that, in return for your assistance."

"Fine. Where do we go?"

The Asgard stepped away from him, and he saw a blue orb directly in front of them, and closer still, flashes of light against the darkness of space just off the planet's horizon. He climbed to his feet and joined Heimdall near the screens, which suddenly expanded at the Asgard's control. He saw three familiar Asgard vessels exchanging fire with a fleet of…Asgard vessels. Only, these ships had been altered somehow to lose the streamlined quality of the Asgard and become blockier and more menacing.

"So have you tried beaming a bomb aboard the Replicator ships?" Kyle asked.

Heimdall very slowly turned and stared at him. "What?"

Kyle sighed. The Asgard were perhaps the most intellectual and advanced race he had ever encountered, in any galaxy. It made them completely unsuited for war. "I said beam a bomb on board their ships. A big one, guaranteed to destroy them. If you can, beam a bomb to all of them simultaneously, and have the bombs go off the moment it materializes."

"That is a brilliant plan, Kyle Katarn, but they are using stolen Asgard ships. Our shields prevent unauthorized transports."

"So draw up an ion cannon that can knock out your own shields and use it to knock out theirs, then beam the bombs aboard."

Heimdall nodded. "Supreme Commander Thor, have you been listening?"

A light flashed, and suddenly Thor was there. "I have," the Asgard commander stated in his flat, nasal voice. Kyle remembered standing next to Anakin Skywalker when he first met the Asgard commander. "Master Jedi, it is a pleasure to see you so well. We will be attempting your plan shortly."

Suddenly the flashes from the Asgard ships changed color. The oncoming replicator ships slowed under this new assault, and moments later all three ships burned into white balls of fire, which quickly faded back into the darkness of space.

"An eloquent solution," Thor said, "And much less costly than the solution presented by Dr. Carter."

"Who?"

"A human scientist from Earth," Thor said. "She suggested using our most advanced warship as a lure to the three ships approaching our homeworld. The replicator ships followed, and when we self-destructed the new craft, the replicator ships were destroyed as well."

"So what happens when these replicators get on a world?"

"If even one survives, then there is a 90 chance the entire world, regardless of technological level, will be destroyed within six months," Thor said.

"Wow," Kyle whistled. "Well, this Dr. Carter's idea seemed to work, so I won't knock it, but usually I recommend destroying the enemy without destroying your stuff in the process. Heck, if they're machines, a straight ion cannon barrage might take care of them as well. If that doesn't work and they ever figure out the bomb thing, you might also try throwing rocks at them."

"Excuse me?" Thor asked.

"Mass drivers. We used them against the Ori in the Corellian System. Worked pretty good."

The two Asgard exchanged looks again. "It is remarkable what varied means of destruction younger species can think up to destroy things."

Kyle shrugged, knowing better than to be offended. "Primitive breakers of things, that's us. So, I assume I've held up my side of the bargain, how 'bout yours?"

"I will take you to Earth personally," Thor said. A flash of light, and a moment later Thor and Kyle stood on a different ship. "Heimdall had an important research project to attend to. I will be glad to get you to Earth."

Outside, the stars blurred as the Asgard ship launched into space. "While we travel, Kyle Katarn, please put this in your right ear." He held up a small button the size of a bean.

"What is that?"

"A language acquisition device. You will need it to speak with the natives of this galaxy. It will download over one hundred eighty languages directly into your mind."

"Hmm, that's handy." Kyle slipped it into his ear as instructed. He felt a moment of vertigo, followed by an odd sensation of movement, as if the universe around had shifted. "That was different," Kyle noted. "Wait, what language am I speaking?"

"You are now speaking Halla, our native language."

Kyle nodded appreciatively. "Pretty nice."

A moment later, Kyle had to catch himself on Thor's control podium as the ship abruptly decelerated. "What was that?" Kyle asked.

"A problem," Thor said. The ship rocked around them. "It appears we have somehow been pulled from hyperspace and are now under attack."

"I didn't think interdiction technology worked on Asgard hyperdrives."

"They don't," Thor said. "This was more direct. Some form of directed graviton pulse. It was sufficient to disrupt our hyperspace lane."

The screen blinked before the two, and Kyle found himself looking at a fleet of oddly shaped, capital-size ships. "Are those things really shaped like pyramids?"

"Indeed," Thor said. "They are Goa'uld ships. The Goa'uld are a parasitic species dependent upon human hosts to survive. Even so, they declared themselves gods and control vast armies of humans and semi-humans called Jaffa. They generally are not a threat. However, they generally do not have a means of stopping an Asgard vessel in flight, either."

Thor moved one of the control stones on his panel and began speaking to the ships. "Attacking Goa'uld vessels, this is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Defense Fleet. Break off your attack immediately."

The screen before Kyle shifted again to show a beautiful young woman with curly blonde hair and a decidedly wicked pout to her lips. "Asgard vessel, this is Osiris. Our days of bowing to the Asgard are over."

A volley of fire erupted from the Goa'uld ships. Kyle watched with interest, trying to identify the nature of the energy used. The blasts seemed to carry a wallop, though, to make Thor's vessel shake like it did. "Very well," Thor said in response.

Kyle knew that the Asgard battle ships carried fire-power approaching that of an _Eclipse_-class super dreadnought. He watched as Thor fired the main weapons of his ship, and then frowned when the energy from those weapons dissipated harmlessly across the globe-shaped shielding of the Goa'uld ship.

The screen once more showed the woman calling herself Osiris. "As I said, our time has come."

Suddenly every Goa'uld ship opened fire, pounding Thor's vessel again and again.

"This is unfortunate," Thor noted without a hint of anguish or emotion. "It seems the same method they used to pull us from hyperspace is preventing us from escaping back to it. And under this level of fire power, it is only a matter of time before my shields collapse. It appears the Goa'uld had won this battle."

"You guys seem to have lots of enemies," Kyle said.

"We have tried to protect the humans in this galaxy against the Goa'uld, but with the war against the replicators, we simply have not had the resources to accomplish that task. We are spread too thin, and today we see the consequence of that."

"Can you beam me over there?" Kyle asked.

Thor turned and stared at him. "You would be killed instantly."

"Thor, have you ever seen a Jedi fight?"

"I have seen your ships in action, but I have never seen you fight personally."

Kyle nodded and drew his lightsaber. "As you pointed out, the Asgard came to my people in our time of greatest need. Even if my government cannot help, I will personally never forget. Beam me aboard that main ship, and I will do what I can to aid you."

"Very well, Kyle Katarn," Thor said. "Even should we never meet again, you will be remembered."

"Oh, we'll meet again," Kyle said. "Remember, I've faced real gods before. I don't think these fake ones will give me too much trouble."

Thor nodded and a moment later, Kyle stood alone on the Pel'tak, or control deck, of the Goa'uld mother ship. Around him, he sensed or saw over fifty soldiers in ridiculously cumbersome armor, with long staves not too dissimilar to what the Ori soldiers used over a century before. And in the center of the room, before a podium of some sort, stood the beautiful woman named Osiris.

"Hi," Kyle said, his LAD instantly shifting both thought and speech to the Goa'uld language.

The woman named Osiris visibly bristled, like a voxyn upon detecting a Jedi nearby. "Kill him!" she ordered, although her guards were already raising their staves to fire.

Harnessing the Force, Kyle launched himself high into the vaulted ceiling of the room and somersaulted over the nearest line of soldiers. His purple lightsaber, recovered from the valleys of Coruscant and belonging once to the great Vaapad master Mace Windu, hummed as he cut down ten guards in the blink of an eye. He easily deflected the slow but powerful blasts from the other staves, and then raised his hand to unleash a storm of Force lightning.

He walked forward as he struck, throwing men against walls even as his power killed them. In his heart, a memory of darkness raised its ugly head; reminding him of the giddiness such power gave.

He squashed the darkness down. What he did, he did for the Asgard, and for Siana Delun. There was no darkness in his motivation or its final outcome, nor was there dark in defending himself and his allies against forces that would kill them.

After a struggle lasting approximately 71 seconds, Kyle Katarn stood alone in the middle of the Pel'tak facing the Goa'uld Osiris, while around him lay the bodies of fifty dead Jaffa. Osiris's face still held an expression of outrage, but there was also a look of fear there. "Are you an Ancient?" she managed to whisper with both fear, awe and hatred.

"Nope," Kyle answered as he stepped toward her. His lit blade hummed. "I sense two minds in you, Osiris. There's an ancient, evil mind in there that I can't say I care for too much, and also a young woman held prisoner in her own mind and screaming to get out."

"The host cannot survive the removal of the symbiote," Osiris said quickly as her eyes suddenly took on a white glow. She raised a hand covered in an elaborate gold and ruby hand piece. Kyle felt the disturbance in the Force even as he saw the light blossoming from the hand piece.

Time slowed as he pulled the Force into him and charged toward the attack. He both saw and felt the energy emerge from the device that would have struck him, had he not moved. He flashed his sword down, and then stepped back as the woman screamed in agony. Osiris fell to the floor of the room, clutching the already cauterized stump of her hand. Nearby, her hand and the device lay on the floor. She reached for it with her left hand, but then stared in shock as the device flew from the severed appendage into Kyle's waiting hand.

"Nasty little toy you have there," he muttered. He put the blade to her chin. "I don't like threatening defenseless women, so let's make this quick, okay? Call off the attack on Thor's ship and order all ships to retreat, and I'll let you live another day."

"If you let me live, you'll be sealing your own death," Osiris spat. "I serve Lord Anubis, the most powerful of all the Goa'uld. He will flay you alive and bring you back from the dead a thousand times over, just to hear your screams."

"Sounds like a real nice guy," Kyle said. "Now, call off your ships or I cut off your head."

With a look of pure acid, she stood and slammed her good hand against a console. "All ships, break attack and return to previous coordinates." On the display screen above her head, Kyle saw the weapons fire against Thor trickle and then halt. A moment later, the ships disappeared back into the maw of empty space.

"I will remember you," Osiris warned. "The Goa'uld will remember you. You will look back on this day with dread. And I will be there on that day."

"Better hope not, because next time I see you I'm yanking that worm out of your head, whether it kills the host or not. I somehow think she'd rather be dead than a slave within her own mind. Thor, old buddy, you been listening?"

"I have," Thor's voice said over the Goa'uld ship's speakers.

"Want to give me a lift?"

"Gladly."

"See you later," Kyle said as white light flashed him back to Thor's ship.

Thor was waiting for him. "That was a remarkable display," the Asgard said. "You have demonstrated many of the abilities of the Ancients, and some not even they possessed. I understand now why the Jedi are both feared and respected."

"Great, so how long until Earth?"

"The hyperdrive was damaged by their interdiction beam and the subsequent volley. I can only go a few times faster than light. At this rate, it may take months. However, I have already begun repairs. If we can make it to a world with a Stargate, it will simply be a matter of gating to Earth."

"Okay, let's see what we can do."

* * *

Fort Sumner, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 8:24 a.m. MST

The figure walked slowly. He wore a pair of washed-out jeans and a plaid button-up shirt, and nothing else. In January, with evening temperatures below freezing and daytime temperatures in the fifties, this was odd enough.

Though the clothes were commonplace, the figure was not. The exposed skin on his arms and face was a bone-white color, completely unnatural. To make the complexion even odder, the man wore what looked like black tattoos on his neck and face. In fact, the tattooing was solid from his shirt, up around his neck, and around his chin. It broke into serrated tips just over his lips and cheeks, making it look as if the lower part of his head were a single, giant jaw. His hair was thick and as black as oil. He walked with what looked like a wooden cane.

Fort Sumner was a small, poor town of 1202 people riding between a highway and a railroad on one side, and the Pecos River on the other. In January, the whole town looked brown. There were a few trees here and there, but most were bare.

The odd-looking man walked with a stiff back despite the long, cold night on foot. He saw a little hovel just off the road and recognized the words he had stolen from Jesus Eschevez. La Taqueria. A place to obtain food.

The man set foot into the slow, mostly empty restaurant and ignored the looks of the three patrons inside. He stepped to a waist-high bar, and in newly acquired Spanish, demanded food.

The owner, Charlie Chavez, a Vietnam veteran and a member of the Fort Sumner Chamber of Commerce (for what commerce they had) immediately took a dislike to the imperious tone. "We speak English here," he said. In Spanish: "Habla Anglais?"

The lean figure's narrow brows furrowed. He slowly looked around the establishment, reading the many English signs. Nearby, a television had the morning news, also spoken in English.

The figure looked back at Chavez, and then before the man could respond snapped out a hand and grabbed his forehead. Charlie screamed in agony, prompting his three regulars to jump to their feet and run to his aid.

The tip of the stranger's cane erupted into a meter-long red blade and with one practiced swing, all three men fell dead to the floor. Charlie continued screaming for five more minutes before his eyes rolled into his head and he slumped dead against the bar.

"That is better," the stranger said in clear English with a southwest accent. Suddenly he understood the words coming from the primitive holonet. He understood the signs posted around the restaurant.

He understood so much more now.

Then he heard a whimper and saw a girl, in her teens, kneeling in a corner in the kitchen behind the bar. The figure stepped around the bar until he stood before her. "Do you understand me?" he asked.

She nodded. Then, with tears running down her cheeks, she asked, "Are you going to hurt me?"

Darth Nihl, Dark Lord of the Sith, smiled. "Oh yes."


	7. A Master of English

**tilius**--Thank you.

**ancient lantean**--I admit I borrowed a lot of his abilities from the Dark Forces and Jedi Knigh games. When playing Kyle or even Jaden Corr in Jedi Academy I also have Force lightning even if I go light side. It's handy to have. And the Asgard--I think they're so repulsed by violence and their cloning has so far removed their biological origins that they've lost the ability to think aggressively.

**Jedi Master Sabbath**--Thank you, I'm glad that's working for you. And yes, sooner or later we'll see Krayt, Talon, and probably Cade and Wolf. (Much later, for some of them.)

Well, thanks you three for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it. This story is definitely outside the norm of Star Wars. In fact, I'm willing to bet Roswell fans would like it as much as any. But it is still a fun read. I hope.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: A Master of English**

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 9:45 a.m. MST

Special Agents Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and John Doggett sat in a booth at the Crashdown Café in Roswell, New Mexico, speaking over coffee and the remains of three plates of flying saucers, also known as pancakes.

"I can't believe I never ate here before," Mulder was saying as he once more perused the menu. "I've been in New Mexico at least five times, and two of them were to right here in Roswell, but I've never been here. This place is tailor-made for me."

"Yeah, it serves lots of fruits and nutcakes," Doggett said. It was difficult even for Mulder to tell if Doggett was joking or not.

"We have the written witness statements from the first responders," Mulder said, deciding on middle ground. "I'm pretty sure that we can assume John Love and Margarita Salt are aliases. So the obvious place to start is the third name on the list—Carlos Guevara. Maybe he can give us a description of the other two."

"Agent Duff in DC also mentioned Valenti when I spoke to her about Roswell," Scully said. "I called the sheriff's department and they said Valenti was terminated after a State Board of Police inquiry. Duff thought he was protecting someone but wouldn't say who. We could look over Valenti's last few cases for any common faces."

"It's as good a place as any," Doggett said.

Just then the owner of the café himself walked by with a fresh pot of coffee. "I hope everything tasted good," he said with a genial smile.

"Very good," Mulder said. "Thank you." He sipped the coffee black and hot. "Say, do you know Jim Valenti?"

The owner studied the three and grinned. "Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. You three must be here because of that crash up at Fort Sumner," he surmised. "Business has been booming since then."

Doggett coughed, but Mulder merely grinned. "I'll bet. Want to add anything to the initial investigation?"

"Only if it gets the Crashdown's name in the papers," Jeff Parker said with a smile. "I can always use more business."

Mulder chuckled, which Scully long ago realized was as close to a real laugh as he usually came. They paid their tickets and stepped into the brisk January air. The cold was sufficient for their breaths to puff without being truly freezing. Still, for agents accustomed to working on the East Coast, the weather was relatively pleasant.

"So, does anyone find it interesting that Tennenbaum linked himself with the NID and Special Unit agents and pretty much left us and the NSA folks completely out of his notice?" Mulder asked as they walked down the sidewalk. "We have no idea what he's doing right now, or if he's following up on the same leads."

"You're saying that as if it is a bad thing," Scully said. "Frankly, it seems a waste of time for us to even be here. Lake Sumner is over 80 miles away. I don't care what the pilot of the craft is, it's not going to travel 80 miles on foot in the course of a single night. Has it even been twelve hours since the crash?"

"There's more going on than Tennenbaum wants us to know," Doggett growled. "He brought everyone to Roswell because he thinks there's something here to find."

"Our job is to find out what," Mulder said. He stretched. "So who wants to talk to Mr. Guevara, and who wants to talk to Valenti?"

"This Guevara guy, I saw from the statement he's former military," Doggett said. "Did time in the Persian Gulf. I might be able to get a little more out of him."

"Sounds good," Mulder agreed. "Scully and I will tackle our reticent former sheriff. Keep in touch, and let's keep tabs on any other spooks we run across. I'd love to know what Tennenbaum is doing."

Their cell phones all beeped at once, drawing more than a few stares from the other pedestrians. They pulled their phones out and read the text message: "Bodies found in Fort Sumner with wounds matching first response team. Tennenbaum en route with personal team. All remaining agents continue working in Roswell."

"Well," Scully said with a dour smile reserved only for homicide detectives and FBI agents, "at least we know what Tennenbaum is doing."

Mulder flipped his phone closed and shook his head. "So why are we in Roswell?"

Scully shrugged. "Maybe there's more than one alien on the run."

Across town, Isabel drove up to her parents' house and climbed out of her car. A moment later, Siana Delun followed, confused and hesitant. Isabel held out a hand and smiled. "It's okay, these are the people who raised me," Isabel explained.

"Okay," Siana said in English. She tried her best to summon a smile.

Isabel rang the doorbell to let her mother know she was there and then stepped inside. "Mom?"

"In the kitchen," came her mother's reply.

Isabel led Siana through the house until they saw a woman in her late forties or early fifties standing over a bubbling pot of water. "Hello, sweetie," her mother said. "Who's your friend?" Siana actually understood the mother through Isabel's mind, and felt thankful for the other woman's presence.

"This is Siana Delun," Isabel introduced.

Siana raised her hand and said, "Hiyee."

Diane blinked. "Umm, hello."

"She's a foreign exchange student on campus," Isabel explained. "There was a mix-up and she arrived before classes started. There wasn't a dorm available and you know Jesse and I don't have any furniture in our guestroom yet. Since I was her mentor, I was wondering if you'd be willing to let Siana stay here for a few days while we figure everything out on campus."

Diane smiled. "Why of course, honey, we'll be glad to have her. The house has been so empty since you moved out and with Max…" She purposely stopped, then left her boiling pot and took Siana's hands. Siana stifled an urge to bolt and instead held her ground.

"Siana, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need," Diane Evans said.

"Zank Uouou," Siana said, returning a smile that was as much grimace as anything.

Isabelsaid "Mother, that's about all the English she knows. Can I show her around?"

Diane nodded. "Of course, dear."

The two young ladies left. "I told her you were an exchange student from another country," Isabel said. "That'll explain the language problem."

"You have multiple languages on this world?"

"Hundreds."

Siana stared, dumfounded. "How odd," was all she could think to say.

Isabel showed Siana her old bedroom, still filled with many of her things she had not had a chance to take to her home with Jesse. Siana walked into the room and looked around with interest. Eventually, her eyes fell on an old, thick book that showed no signs of ever being opened. "What is that?"

"A dictionary," Isabel explained. She grabbed it and opened it up. "I think I used it twice. It is a book of words and what they mean, and how to say them." She looked up at Siana. "This is just what you need." She stepped past her guest, opened her closet, and began pulling out old boxes, until she emerged with one from the top shelf. She opened it up to reveal old papers and books from throughout her school history. She pulled out stacks of papers and books until she found the one she wanted. "My elementary grade speller," she said. She leafed through it until she found the page she wanted. "I kept this because it was the first time I got an A++."

She laid the book on the bed. "These are the letters of the English alphabet. English is our native language." She went through pronouncing every letter. "There are lots of exceptions and rules, but knowing the alphabet and a few words may help. You know how to say 'Hello', so let's look that up." Isabel showed her the pronunciation guide, spelling, and meaning, reading it aloud for Siana since the words of the definition itself had little meaning.

Still, Siana quickly realized the book would be a great boon.

"I will study it closely," Siana said. "I cannot thank you enough for everything you have done. I hope I can repay you some day."

"Maybe you can, maybe not," Isabel said. "For now, just take it easy and try not to let my mom spook you too bad. She is a wonderful person."

"I know," Siana said. "I feel it in her. She is also very concerned for Max. Was there a fight between them?"

"It's a long, painful story," Isabel said. "Teenage drama on Earth."

Siana smiled, remembering the scandal her mother caused by marrying a Baroli man so young, or her grandmother's initial disappointment when that tell-tale Baroli blue hair passed on squarely to Siana. "It is not just on Earth."

Isabel laughed. "Good to know. Look, my mother knows my cell phone, so if you need to talk to me, tell her to call me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Isabel gave the alien girl a tight hug. "I've got to run. We need to keep things as normal looking as possible. We have a three day weekend coming up, though, so that should give us some time to get things straightened out. Remember, call me if you need anything."

Siana promised and then watched as Isabel left. She was wearing one of Isabel's dresses, since the two were close in size, and the odd fabric and undergarments felt strange against her skin. Still, she realized she could not wear her Jedi padawan robes in this place. The only thing she kept was her lightsaber, which she clipped on her thigh using a quickly fashioned garter belt.

Once alone, she sat cross-legged on the bed and stared down at the elementary speller book and the dictionary. She recalled the letters and said them aloud, accustoming her tongue to the odd-sounding letters. She then opened the dictionary and began pouring over the mysterious text.

The Jedi Praxeum was more than just a place to learn the arts of the Jedi. Because of the number of young children taken in by the order, it was also a school. The first thing a Jedi initiate was taught was how to learn. Those without the benefit of modern education techniques might not appreciate what that really meant. While some worlds favored direct neural interfacing to download knowledge directly into their brains, while others struggled on with the same decrepit educational approach used for centuries of rote memorization without understanding, the Jedi's first mission was shaping the mind itself into an open receptacle capable of receiving and understanding new information.

Siana memorized every letter of every word individually, since she did not have the words themselves. She did this by saying each letter and putting it into a mental sub-folder under languages. It was a technique created by the Jedi, and was the primary reason she knew thirty languages already, even though she was only a teenager.

The more letters and words she absorbed, the more connections she began to make, as she would see a word she had just read referenced in the definition of another word. It was a puzzle, and as she speed-read through each page, absorbing information with astonishing speed, she began to understand basic word structures. She put these structures together with the speech she heard around her, from those who rescued her to Diane Evans downstairs, and made still more connections.

Using nothing more than a 1996 edition of the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Siana Delun began learning the English language.

By the time Diane Evans called her down for lunch, she knew what the word "lunch" meant, even if she did not have the smell to inform her of its meaning. Her stomach growled and she gladly went downstairs.

The meal was not identifiable to Siana, but nonetheless tasted good to a young woman who could not remember her last meal. "So, Siana," Diane asked. "Where are you from?"

Without Isabel there to act as a translator, Siana had to piece together meaning on her own. Fortunately, she had made it past "G" in the dictionary and knew the word "from". "Greek," she said. "I yam Greek."

"You're from Greece?" Diane asked. "Oh, how wonderful! You do have a little bit of a Mediterranean complexion. I bet those Greek men were sad to see you go!"

Siana understood perhaps two words and smiled. "Yes," she said, nodding.

Diane laughed, and then relieved Siana of the need to talk any more by filling the silence admirably on her own for the next two hours. By the time they were finished and Siana was free to go back to her room, the young padawan felt as if she had just gone through her trials. But after two hours of listening to non-stop English, coupled with the words she had already absorbed, Siana knew she was on her way to mastering the language.

* * *

Daniel sat in the seat of the alien space craft and stared at the strange script. He had already photographed and recorded every symbol found in the entire ship, from obvious warnings to watch your head to more esoteric writings for mysterious buttons.

Around him, the finest engineers and technicians the country had to offer were studying every aspect of the ship, trying to take as detailed notes as possible before the final step of dismantling everything. Not surprisingly, Major Carter was in the back with Dr. Janeway, studying the propulsion systems.

Part of what bothered Daniel was that he was the only linguistics person there. He admitted without false modesty that he was the best and most experienced not just in spoken languages, but in long dead writing systems as well, but he was the only one. The study of xenolinguistics was only a few years old, but he knew of at least three other specialists out of Area 51 who should have been there assisting him.

For some reason, the NID kept them out. Not only that, but he sensed from Woolsey over the course of their commute that even he was not entirely welcome. It was as if they didn't actually want the language deciphered.

That meant a lot; Daniel just wasn't exactly sure what.

What he did know was that the script on the dashboard bore an uncanny resemblance not only to several Norse runes, but it also bore at least a passing similarity to the written language of the Ancients encountered across the galaxy. If he had to place bets without actually hearing the language spoken, it would be that he was staring at a direct descendent of the Ancient written language.

Based on that, and the fact that the seat he rested in was actually very comfortable, Daniel suspected the alien pilot to either look, or actually be, human.

He stepped out of the shuttle with his notes and recording equipment and went in search of Colonel Green. He found the colonel in a large second-story corner office looking over the hangar. A young corporal sat in ananteroom to the colonel, although Green's door was open and Daniel could see the man inside.

"Can I help you, sir?" the aide asked.

"Yes, I was hoping to talk to Colonel Green."

"Send him in, Aileen," Green called from his office without looking up.

Aileen smiled nervously and nodded for Jackson to go in. Only when Daniel was standing at the colonel's desk did Green look up. "So, you're Jackson, that Air Force linguist. I looked over your file and was surprised by your security clearance and the number of blacked-out segments. You've even been declared dead. What have you been doing for the Air Force these past few years?"

"Oh, this and that," Daniel said with what he hoped was a disarming smile.

Evidently, it was not as disarming as he hoped. "Fine," Green said. "What do you want, doctor?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "I would like to join the investigators in Roswell. I think the key to understanding this ship, what it does and what it's doing here lies in finding the pilot. And I believe that pilot is either a human, or at least humanoid. And I think I would have a fairly good chance of identifying it."

Green studied Jackson for the longest time. "Doctor, I do not have full autonomy over this operation. There are many forces at play, and I am doing my best to stay out of their way. Rest assured, even if I were inclined to grant your request, which I am not, I could not. There are standing orders to completely segregate the two sides of this operation. This is as much for your safety as ours. From what I understand, civilian bodies have now been found both at Lake Sumner and now in the town of Fort Sumner itself. Now, if there is nothing else, please return to your duties."

It was as rude a dismissal as Jackson had received since working for the government. With a shrug, he turned and left the office. Aileen sat quietly at an empty desk and watched him as if wishing she could leave as well.

He returned to the ship in the hangar and found Sam right where he left her. "Hey, have a sec?"

"Sure," Sam said without looking up from the lap-top she had wired into an open panel of the ship.

"To stand, join me, and talk?" Daniel added.

"Yeah, just a second," Sam said absently. "Okay, Shannon, try it now!"

Suddenly the laptop flared and exploded. Sam dropped the device with a whistle. "Okay, that's enough," she said to the invisible Dr. Janeway. She turned to Daniel and grinned. "That's our third laptop. Whatever this thing uses to send data, it's a pretty intense signal. So, what can I do for you?"

Daniel motioned for her to join him and the two walked through the body of the shuttle to the cockpit, where for the moment they had a modicum of privacy.

"I just asked Colonel Green if I could join the spooks in Roswell."

"And?"

"He said no. He said there were other forces at play, and the two halves were to remain segregated. What bothers me, though, is that the pilot is the greatest key we have to deciphering this language."

Sam nodded. "So you haven't made any progress?"

"I have," Daniel said softly. "And that's what bothers me. Sam, I'm sure this language is a linguistic descendent of written Ancient. Between that and the layout of this ship I'd bet the pilot is either human or near-human. So, why bring in all the agents? We've had foothold situations before, why such massive mobilization for a single alien?"

Sam shrugged. "You know, this has been a strange situation. Agent Bennett from the NID isn't here, but Woolsey is. And why the FBI? When has the FBI ever been involved in a First Encounter situation? This should be solely a Stargate Command situation."

"Exactly!" Daniel said. "The wrong people are in charge. It makes me want to know all the more why we're not allowed to talk to the agents doing the manhunt."

"We're not allowed to talk to anyone," Samantha said. "They even confiscated our cell phones. And the two times I tried calling Stargate Command the base operator was unable to connect."

"You need a cell phone?" an unfamiliar voice said.

The two looked up to see a woman in her fifties with blonde hair going gray, but a body that spoke of care and conditioning. "Helen Swanson," the woman introduced herself. She pulled a cell phone out of her lab coat pocket. "I guess they forgot to get mine. Hope I'm not in trouble about it. But I wouldn't mind loaning it to you if you need it."

Daniel accepted the phone. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Roberta said with a cheerful smile. "See you around, since we don't seem to be going anywhere." She turned and walked back out of the shuttle.

"Who is she?" Daniel asked.

"She's someone in engineering," Carter said. "Civilian. Didn't read too much about her." She looked at the phone. "Daniel, I'm not really thrilled about the lockdown either, but you could really get into some hot water if you break operational silence."

"By calling General Hammond and asking for some notes?" Daniel asked, blinking owlishly behind his glasses.

"Is that what you're going to say?"

"Mostly," Daniel said with a smug grin.


	8. In Search of Little Green Men

**Jedi Master Sabbath**--It is very much so.

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**Beth Weasley**--Thank you, glad to hear from you. Daniel has been known to bend the rules once or twice. And as always, he usually ends up paying a price for it.

(Author's note—since I am borrowing elements from the TV show Roswell, I have chosen to maintain some of the many, many factual errors made in the show itself that would result in continuity errors if corrected. One is having a Sheriff's Department with jurisdiction in a city with a functioning police department. Roswell is the seat of Chaves County. There is no Roswell Sheriff's Department. Granted, the Chaves County Sheriff's Office is actually located in Roswell since, again, Roswell is the county seat, but its jurisdiction falls outside of the city limits. Roswell is under the jurisdiction of the Roswell Police Department. FYI)

* * *

**Chapter 8: In Search Of….Little Green Men**

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 11:25 a.m. MST

"Yeah, I remember the guy," Carlos Guevara told Special Agent Doggett. "Cute little girlfriend, too. Man, do you guys even know what you're doing? You're like the third Fed to ask."

Doggett perked up. "Third?"

"Yeah. Some pretty girl came by flashing a badge an hour ago, then these spooks in sun glasses came. At least they had the guy's picture."

"Can you describe him for me?" Guevara did just that, and after the interview Doggett stepped back to his rental car and called Scully.

"Dana," he said, "listen, I just spoke to Guevara. Evidently Tennenbaum has already been through here, maybe even twice. And he already has a picture of this 'John Love' character on the witness list. Yeah, I'm thinking he's from Roswell. Now we know why we're there." He listened for a moment, and then nodded. "All right. The crashsite was completely scrubbed. Nothing there. I've got as much as I'm going to get here. I'm heading back." He hung up and started the car.

After he turned around and headed back the way he came, he reached the main highway and floored it. He was thankful he upgraded to a six-cylinder from the choices the taskforce made available. He went 90 miles an hour on the way up, and fully intended to go just as fast going back. The badge had to count for something, after all.

However, he had to go through Fort Sumner on Highway 84 before the turn off to get to Roswell on Highway 20. Since he was passing through anyway, he decided to see just what Tennenbaum was up to.

It was not hard to find the crime scene—the town had a population smaller than Doggett's high school and was essentially a long stretch of structures along the highway. He passed it on his way in, but at Mulder's suggestion had not stopped.

Now, however, the unmarked sedans were all missing, leaving only two Fort Sumner Police cars, three De Baca County Sheriff's cars, and two New Mexico State Troopers to clean up the mess.

Doggett pulled off the highway into the gravel and dirt driveway of the Taqueria and climbed out. One of the city police officers—a boy fresh out of high school with a severe case of acne, put his hand on his gun threateningly. "Nothing to see here, sir," he said.

Doggett flashed his FBI badge. "I'm just another Fed," he told the boy. "Who's in charge?"

A man with an overwhelmingly huge stomach and skinny legs stepped out of the restaurant. His bulging stomach distracted Doggett's eyes for a moment away from the badge. "Hernandez, get out here," the Fort Sumner Police Chief called. "We got another Fed."

Hernandez proved to be the De Baca County Sheriff. He was neither as fat as his village counterpart, nor as old. In fact, he actually looked like a responsible law enforcement officer. "Sir, Agent Tennenbaum has already been over the crime scene with his own forensics team," Sheriff Hernandez said. "There's really not much else to see."

Doggett nodded. "I figured as much. I was actually hoping to talk to you and the chief here about what happened."

"We've already made our official statements to the FBI."

Doggett slipped off his sunglasses. "Sheriff, I'd like to be candid with you. I'm more interested in speaking to you about Agent Tennenbaum than I am the crime scene. Is there someplace we could talk in private?"

* * *

In Roswell, Scully flipped her phone closed and turned to study her partner. She knew every inch of Mulder's face: every expression, every line. She had seen in Mulder's face the heights of joy and the depths of despair. She had even, despite her best intentions, managed to develop feelings for him. It was those feelings, if nothing else, that convinced her to leave her pathology classes at the FBI academy in Quantico to join Mulder in this case when he called her.

She was glad she did. Since coming to New Mexico, Mulder's tired exterior seemed to suddenly come alive again. The light she saw in his eyes when she first met him seemed to burn again, after so many years of absence. He was happy, and that happiness made him beautiful to her. "So what now?" she asked.

The two sat in an unused conference room of the Roswell Sheriff's Department going through the last files worked by Sheriff Jim Valenti. So far, the only suspicious file was Valenti's very last one, detailing a kidnapping and burial of a victim.

Mulder pondered Scully's question while staring at the files spread out before them. Finally, his eye ran across a mug shot of a young man with a large nose and long reddish-brown hair. Just like the man Doggett's interviewee described.

He reached across and lifted the file to read it. "Filed in October 2000. A body was recovered and this kid was brought in by a deputy for questioning when his finger prints were found near the burial site. The case was dropped after carbon-dating found the bones were forty or so years old." He pulled pictures from the coroner's report. "Look at the ribcage."

Scully examined the picture of the recovered bones and the coroner's report. "The coroner's initial report said the bones were recent. He found evidence of residual moisture in the marrow. That's not something you'd find after forty-two years. And the ribcage looks like it's been fused somehow."

Mulder lifted the picture. "Get this—there was a senator involved in this case too. Evidently she pushed to have the bones tested for Cadmium-X. Vanessa Whitaker."

He handed the file to Scully. "Whitaker?" she said. "She died last year, didn't she?"

"Uh-huh," Mulder said, grinning. "After having a fling with Special Agent Pierce of the Special Unit."

Scully stared. "Mulder, how could you possibly know that?"

"Pierce told me," Mulder said. "I tracked him down right before the hearing that shut the Special Unit down and he said…what was the word he used? Diddling. He said he'd been diddling her all summer."

"And he disappeared just a few weeks before she did," Scully said. She looked back at Michael Guerin's photo. "Whitaker had an office here. That means she had an aide. Maybe the aide could shed some light on what's going on."

"And Valenti too," Mulder said. "Want to split up?"

"Wait, Mulder, I have to ask, what does any of this have to do with the crash?"

Fox Mulder, dour pessimist and doubter of all things, chuckled with an unusually high pitch to his voice that in any other person would have been considered a giggle. "Cadmium-X," he said. "The aliens didn't just arrive in that crash, Scully. They've been here all along, and the FBI Special Unit knew about them and was hunting them, and Whitaker was their congressional sponsor."

"That's a big leap, Mulder," Scully said.

"Yeah, I know." Then, for no apparent reason, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. As his lips touched her skin, the table top in front of him splintered under the impact of a large-caliber bullet. Mulder reacted instantly, throwing himself and Scully to the floor while shouting a warning to the Sheriff and his personnel. Instantly deputies came rushing in with drawn weapons.

Mulder got back to his feet and pulled his own weapon and looked out the window a few inches from the broken pane. The building was surrounded by other two- and three-story buildings both on either side and across the street. Based on the trajectory between the shattered pane of glass and the impact, Mulder suspected a Laundromat across the street. However, he could see nothing.

He helped Scully back to her feet and grinned. "If you don't want me doing that, you could've just said no."

She huffed. "So, think we should still split up?"

"And make more difficult targets?" Mulder said. "Never. Let's make it as easy to get both of us at once as possible. Valenti first?

* * *

A knock on the door woke Jim Valenti from a nap. The former sheriff of Roswell opened bleary eyes and looked around the dirty living room of his dirty house. He wore an old robe, undershirt and boxers, with black socks. He smelled like beer.

He heard another knock and pushed himself to his feet to stumble to the door. "What?" he said before he even saw who it was. He straightened when he saw the prim suits and greatcoats that shouted _Federal agent_! "Yes, can I help you?"

The man held out his badge. "Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI. This is Special Agent Dana Scully. Are you Jim Valenti?"

"Depends on if I owe you money," Valenti said with a weak smile. "Sorry, old joke. What's this about?"

The red-head named Scully said, "Do you remember working with an Agent Duff last year?"

"I do. What's this about?"

She obligingly showed him her badge. "You were referred to us by Agent Duff as someone who could possibly be of assistance. May we come in?"

After a moment, Valenti nodded and stepped back. "Excuse the mess."

The two agents scanned the room, looking for someplace to sit. Mulder finally gave up and pulled the only two chairs he saw from the small dining table and set both down facing the couch. Valenti sat and stared at them both. "So, what's this about again?"

"Sheriff, have you ever heard of an element called Cadmium-X?"

Valenti shrugged nonchalantly. "Nope, should I have?"

"Maybe. There seems to be a lot of it around Roswell, for some reason."

Valenti nodded and stared at the two agents closely. They stared right back at him. "This is about the crash, isn't it?"

"What do you know about it?" Mulder asked.

"Only what everyone else knows. Half the city saw the fireball. The news cameras caught choppers and airplanes flying into Rogers. No one alive buys that crummy cover story of a transport plane crashing."

"Well, you're right, it was a UFO crash," Mulder said without hesitation. Scully turned and stared at him, but kept quiet for the moment. "The pilot escaped and killed a dozen US soldiers. And we've just received notice of perhaps five to six civilians also killed. We're here to try and find that pilot. What led us to Roswell was the presence of Cadmium-X on the ship itself."

"I wish I could help you two," Valenti said. "But I'm not the sheriff any more. I don't know anything."

Mulder pulled a folder from his coat and placed it on a stack of old Sports Illustrated magazines. "Can you tell me about Michael Guerin? And why a congresswoman was so interested in him last year?"

"Wish I could. One of my deputies suspected him in a case of a set of human remains that were found, but carbon dating proved he couldn't have done it."

Mulder leaned forward. "Can I call you Jim?"

"Why not?" Valenti said.

"Well, Jim, there's a lot going on here. Almost more than I can even tell you about." Mulder shook his head and stared a moment at the ceiling. "I'm going out on a limb here, Jim. You see, I think there is more than one alien involved in the crash. There's the one who's out there now slicing and dicing every person it comes across, and then there are the aliens that left the traces of Cadmium-X. I'm not sure they are the same. But one thing I do know is that this boy is in danger."

"And you're here to protect him, I take it?" Valenti said doubtfully.

Scully reached into her coat and pulled out a warped bullet wrapped in a small evidence bag. "Sheriff, this was shot at us twenty minutes ago while we were in the sheriff's department reviewing your cases. Someone out there does not want us looking into what is happening here."

Valenti stared at the bullet for a long time, his jaw working furiously. "I wish I could help you," he said with open sincerity. "But I just can't."

Scully stood first; Mulder stayed seated for a long time. "Jim," he finally said, "these people are coming to kill this boy and everyone who knows him. You've got to realize that. I just hope by the time you do realize it, it's not too late." He folded the file and stood as well.

* * *

After an early lunch, as Daniel Jackson made his way back to the hangar, Colonel Green stepped out of a side hall with a squad of six soldiers. The colonel had his side-arm out and a furious expression on his face.

"Where is it, you snotty little brat?" Green said as he put the barrel of the gun to Daniel's forehead.

"Where is what?" Daniel said, instinctively raising his hands.

"The cell phone you used to break the communications black-out! We triangulated the signal to your room."

With a motion of Green's hands, two of the soldiers grabbed Daniel and roughly slammed him against the wall as they searched him. Since the phone was in his front pocket, it didn't take long for them to find it.

Green grabbed the phone from his subordinates and stared at it as if it burned his hand. "Who did you call?"

"I called General Hammond to ask for some of my notes," Jackson said. "I have an artifact in my lab back in Colorado that could help me translate the script in the ship. I made no secret of anything."

Green raised the gun again, until the barrel was resting painfully against Daniel's temple. "I should shoot you where you stand, you Commie traitor! How dare you break the black-out order!"

For a moment, Daniel thought he was going to die. He saw his death in Colonel Green's eyes, and a willingness to cause that death. However, even the Colonel must have realized how dangerous it was to kill a civilian contractor with Top Secret security clearance who had just made contact with his commanding general.

"Put him in the White Room," Green said to his soldiers. "Keep him there. No one in, or out, without my authorization."

After facing the look in Green's eyes, Daniel did not dare question the decision. He went along peacefully, hoping Sam would begin to wonder where he was.

The white room, when he got to it, was just that. It was a room completely covered from floor to ceiling in featureless white tiles. The fluorescent lights glared down, and he had a flashback to another time and another white padded room he had been imprisoned in.

He wasn't there very long, though. Just a few minutes after the soldiers physically tossed him in, the door opened to admit the fifty-ish researcher who gave him the phone in the first place, Helen Swanson. "Hello, Dr. Jackson," she said.

"What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you, of course," Helen said with a smile. "There are several forces arrayed that would like to see you fail, and a few that would like to see you die. But some of us are genuinely curious as to who really flew that ship. And I think you could help. But you can't do that here."

"Any idea how we would get out?"

Helen removed a stylish silver pen from her labcoat. "As a matter of fact, I do." Suddenly odd blue plasma began billowing out of clear air, surrounding the mysterious woman.

"Are you Gao'uld?"

"Me? No, I'm a New Yorker. My real name is Roberta Lincoln. And like most New Yorkers, I just know how to get around." And with that, Daniel Jackson was no longer at Rogers Air Force Base, New Mexico, or even the United States of America.


	9. Men In Black

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**Beth Weasley**--Thank you. Daniel will go on to have a major role both in Part I and in Part IV and possible Part V, if the story goes on that far.

**Tiogasnowwolf**--I'm glad you're liking it. If you want a breakdown on all the characters and verses I use, check out the Heaven Falls thread in my forums. I have a Dramatis Personae good through the first two parts of the story.

Well, no lie, it's nice to see a few new names on the review list. I appreciate you reading and hope you continue to enjoy. I promise there is A LOT more to come.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 9: Men In Black**

_State Highway 20, 19 miles north of Roswell, Friday, January 18, 2002, 2:05 p.m. MST_

The Chevy truck moved down the road at an even 30 miles an hour. It was an older truck, a '64 model with flared wheel wells and rust spots all over, but even it was capable of driving faster than 30 miles an hour.

The driver was in fact used to driving much faster than 30 miles an hour. The average speed for his personal vehicle in his home was 1341 meters per second in the atmosphere, ten times that in space on sublight, and was capable of issuing a quad-cannon burst of turbolaser fire that could have leveled the town of Fort Sumner in seconds.

Darth Nihl, Dark Lord of the Sith, a Hand of Darth Krayt, who was the new master of this galaxy, sat driving a '64 Chevy truck at 30 miles an hour down State Highway 20 in New Mexico. He was going that speed because only a small portion of his conscious thoughts were focused on the operation of the vehicle. Most of his thoughts were busy assimilating the two new languages he had ripped from the minds of his last victims.

Even distracted as he was, he should not have been surprised when a convoy of black Suburbans flew past him and then skidded to a halt in front of him, forming a barricade across the road.

Darth Nihl slowed the primitive vehicle to a halt and watched as two dozen men climbed out of their vehicles. With the Force at his call, he easily identified those who were merely human, and those who were more, like that strange being he slaughtered at the site of the padawan's crash.

Thinking of the blue-headed padawan filled Nihl with rage. On Ossus, just after slaughtering Skywalker and maiming the Jedi Master Wolf Sazen, he had seen a window of opportunity to ensure the remaining Jedi were destroyed, so he stowed away aboard her shuttle in the hopes she would lead him to Sazen and the scion of Skywalker who saved his life. Instead, the foolish little girl did something to her hyperdrive not even Nihl understood and stranded them both on the other side of the universe.

He climbed out of the old truck. The men stood tensely ten meters away, evidently aware of what the Sith was capable of. Or so they thought.

Nihl raised his hand, clinched his fist, and unleashed a volley of blaster-fire from his wrist gauntlet. The first vehicle exploded after being torn in half. The second met a similar fate.

"Wait, I beg of you!" a voice called.

Nihl cherished for a moment the language he stole from Charlie Chavez. He turned his blaster toward the speaker—a plain human with thinning hair. This human held his hands up in a sign of supplication. "We understand we are at your mercy. Please, we wish only to talk."

"Then talk," Nihl snarled. Like all Nagai, his voice sounded hollow and deep at the same time, as if his body were a hollow tube allowing the sound of another's voice to echo from his mouth.

"We have a means for you to return to your home," the human said. "A ship capable of interstellar flight. We will give it to you freely. We just ask that you leave."

Nihl looked from the speaker to one of the other human agents. With the Force, Nihl lifted the man from the ground, crushed his larynx, and tossed him off the road. "Why do I need your charity? I will take the ship when I am ready to leave."

"Please, just tell us what you want, and it is yours."

"I want the Jedi."

The remaining men looked at themselves in confusion. "What is a Jedi?"

"The one who piloted the shuttle. Bring her to me, and I will leave your world."

The human speaker straightened and let his hands drop. "There were two. There were two of you on the ship."

Nearby, one of the not-quite-human men said: "That explains the Cadmium-X. Guerin or one of his comrades must have intervened and saved the first pilot."

The human nodded and said to Nihl: "We know where she may be, and we will bring her to you. We ask for your patience until sunset. Please, return to the city where you obtained the vehicle, and we will bring her to you."

Nihl grinned evilly and killed the last of the normal humans beside the speaker. "If I return to that place, I will grind it to dust. Is this what you wish?"

The human shrugged. "If that is the price of your patience, we will pay it."

Nihl raised his hand, and the human yelped as he flew across the ten meters between them into the Nagai's waiting hand. "What is your name, worm?"

"Tennenbaum," the human gasped, clearly shocked.

"Good," Nihl said. "If you betray me, I shall know you, and you shall wish I had killed you this moment." He tossed the human easily to the ground, climbed back into the '64 Chevy truck, and turned back to Fort Sumner and the 1197 victims awaiting his crimes.

Ten minutes later Nihl passed John Doggett in his rental car driving back to Roswell, and the FBI agent never realized how close he came to the living incarnation of death. By the time Doggett reached the spot of the ambush, all signs of the altercation were gone except for scorch marks in the asphalt, which Doggett did not even notice.

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 2:48 p.m. MST 

Liz Parker sat at her desk staring absently at a 16th century map of the world hanging over the chalkboard at the head of her class while her teacher droned on incessantly about Roosevelt's machinations to get America into World War II.

Her fascination with the map lay in its odd location. The map was drawn by a Spaniard for the Spanish monarchy. It had very little to do with American History. So why was it hanging in the class? She looked at the teacher—a short, compact assistant football coach whose teaching was merely an excuse for the school to have yet another assistant coach—and wondered if the man had ever even seen the map, or had any idea what it was for.

Her eyes wondered again to Max, as they always seemed to do. Not surprisingly, he was struggling not to look at her. She couldn't help but smile.

Three years ago, in the Crashdown Café, she was shot. She honestly thought she had died, or was about to. She remembered seeing everything narrow down to this tube of light, and her grandfather's voice whispering to her that everything would be okay. They never found the shooter, who was just another faceless drifter.

Then Max was there. All she could see was his beautiful face, all she could feel was his hand on her stomach, and the blessed heat pouring through her whole body. Suddenly there were flashes of images and feelings, and she knew at that very moment that she would live; that she loved him; that he loved her; and they were destined to be together.

Of course, the heat she felt was the power of his healing, and as months turned into years and enemies came after Max, she came to realize how much he risked saving her. When the FBI took him at the end of his sophomore year, she felt so terribly afraid. Max's truly alien protector Nasedo had scared her, but the thought of Max being tortured was almost too much.

Then, of course, there was Tess.

If Hell existed, it held a special place for Tess Harding. She burst into their lives without invitation, and immediately set herself between Liz and Max. What was worse—she was beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful, with curly golden hair and large, soulful blue eyes. The final straw was that she was as alien as Max, Isabel and Michael. In fact, in their previous incarnations she was Max's wife, and she waited not a second to remind everyone of that fact.

When Max finally slept with her, taken in by her spell and the difficulties he was having with Liz, it seemed the love Liz and Max were destined to share died. Liz was sure she had lost Max forever. Especially when she found out that Tess was pregnant, and the baby would not be able to survive in Earth's atmosphere.

The four of them, Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess were on the verge of leaving, standing near the Granalith, that mysterious device that had the power to return them home, when the truth was revealed. Tess killed Alex Whitman, Liz's best friend.

Tess left earth alone, taking Max's unborn son with her to the planet Antar and Max's enemies there.

And suddenly, the witch was gone. Liz had Max all to herself, and for a few months the two of them were numbingly happy. Until Max found out about the secret federal installation where the government had rebuilt the ship that brought Max, Tess, Isabel and Michael to Roswell in 1947. It was to Max a way to find his son.

The attempt to help Max find that ship landed Liz in jail on armed robbery charges and in very hot water with her parents. They were still muddling through the fall-out from that ill-fated trip to Utah. For a while, she was forbidden outright from seeing Max, and Max had to move out of his parents' house because he refused to say what he had been doing that got he and Liz arrested.

Now things were starting to calm down. Max was able to see her within normal hours without her dad going nuts, and Max and Michael were sharing an apartment. She looked at him, he looked back, and they smiled.

She loved him so much, sometimes it hurt. Like now. She looked down and felt her heart beating furiously when she saw an odd green light flicker across her skin. She lifted her hand from her desk, and stifled an urge to scream when she saw scorch marks in the shape of her palm and fingers.

"Miss Parker?" Coach Grier said.

She looked up at the coach, then at the three men in overcoats, dark suits and ties standing by the door staring at her. Her voice dried up in her throat and all that came out was a squeak.

"These gentlemen would like a word with you," Coach Grier said, evidently for the second time.

With a desperate look at Max, Liz climbed out of her desk, gathered her books, and nodded. She walked slowly, holding her book bag to her chest. One of the three men took her by the elbow. "If you'll come with us, Miss Parker?" the man said. It was not a request.

They pulled her into the hall and started walking toward the back entrance leading to the student parking lot, rather than the front visitor and faculty lot. They were perhaps halfway there when a new voice said: "Excuse me!"

The three tall men stopped and turned, forcing Liz to do the same. She saw three more people in suits walking toward them, two men and a woman with red hair. "Is that Liz Parker?" one of the newcomers said.

One of the men flashed a badge. She caught the initials NID but nothing else. "Official Investigation. Back off."

All three newcomers flashed FBI badges. "We all part of the same team, supposedly," the leader of the three said. "Where are you taking Miss Parker?"

"None of your business," the NID man said. "We are acting under direct orders."

"From whom?" the woman demanded. "And for what?"

Without any further words, the three men pulled their guns and began firing. Liz screamed as the first man fired. The three FBI agents dove for cover as they also pulled their guns. The tallest of the three men around Liz snapped his head back under the impact of a bullet.

He did not fall down. "Mulder!" the FBI shooter said to the other male FBI agent. "I shot that man between the eyes! Why isn't he down?"

"Supersoldiers!" Mulder called back. "Or hybrids. Doggett, didn't you read any of my reports? The only thing that can kill them is magnetite."

"What the hell is magnetite?" Doggett snapped.

The super soldiers may have been impervious, but even to Liz's untrained eye, they were not very good shots. She tried backing away from them, but one grabbed her, wrapped his arm around her neck, and held the barrel of a gun to her head. "Stand down, or she dies!" the NID man said.

"All right!" the agent named Mulder said without emerging from behind a corner. Down the hall, they could hear screams as students and teachers frantically evacuated the school. "We can't seem to kill you anyway."

The three agents nodded and started backing away. "Hey," someone said from behind them.

The agents spun around to find Michael Guerin and Max Evans standing shoulder to shoulder, their hands extended. From each of their palms a white light flashed. The man holding Liz and one of the other agents grunted and flew backward toward the FBI agents, their chests glowing.

The third agent fired on Max, only to have the bullets impact harmlessly against a blue energy shield that emerged from Max's hand.

Liz stared at the agent in both terror and anger. Not only was this bastard trying to kidnap her, but he was shooting at her Max! In a fit of rage, she felt the lights on her arms again, and a terrible heat from her hand. She hit the agent, and her blow sent the man flying against the far wall with the same force with which Max and Michael had struck.

None of the three agents made any sign of getting up.

"Come on!" Max said urgently to Liz. But it was too late—the FBI agents were already there.

Max and Michael raised their hands, but the agents already had their guns holstered. "Wait, wait!" the agent named Mulder said. "We're not here to hurt you!"

"Tell that to them," Max said, pointing.

"You shot one in the head," Liz said to Doggett. "Why didn't he die?"

"Hell if I know," Doggett said. He looked at Mulder.

"It's a long story," Mulder explained. To Michael he said: "Mr. Guerin. Nice to meet you. You have no idea how many people are looking for you right now."

School police officers were running toward them, weapons drawn. Doggett took out his badge and went to intercept them.

"Look," Mulder said. "I'm not here to hurt any of you, but this town is crawling with agents like these guys." He looked directly at Michael. "They found Cadmium-X at the crash site, and a witness placed you there. Right now, three federal agencies and two branches of the U.S. military believe you are the alien pilot of that ship who's been murdering half the state. And they are out to make sure you don't talk."

"That's crazy!" Michael said.

"Not really, when you think about it," Max said. "We're more alien than she is."

The female FBI agent, in the meantime, was checking the pulse of the three men. "Well, Mulder, it looks like we found something besides magnetite that can kill your super soldiers."

Mulder nodded. "That explains why the Special Unit went after you kids," he said. "We need to get out of here. There are agents all over this town."

"What about Isabel?" Max said.

* * *

Isabel Evans Ramirez stepped out of her business accounting class in the Instructional Technology Center building of Eastern New Mexico University at Roswell with a sigh. When she first realized she would be able to graduate early, she had plans to go to San Francisco. She was going to be a fashion designer and a model. She was going to be rich, and famous, and never think about alien stuff again. 

Now, here she was in a small regional college in the same town she'd lived her whole life, studying accounting so she could have a practical career to fall back on. She didn't hate it—playing with numbers was an enjoyable past time and she was very good at it. She just had a feeling that all the potential she thought she had was slipping by with every hour.

She checked her watch and realized she needed to get home. It was a short drive, perhaps ten minutes at that time of the afternoon. Rather than her house with Jesse, however, she drove to her parents' house to check on Siana.

As she was walking into her home, she never saw the black SUV pull up one house down, and stepped inside without a care.

She was surprised to see her mother and Siana sitting at the table, drinking coffee and talking amiably. More amazing was that Siana was speaking English, albeit with a thick and unusual accent that sounded almost…British?

"Sweetie, you're here!" Diana said, rising to give her daughter a hug. "Siana here is amazing! I swear she's learned the whole English language just today."

"I study languages," Siana said in perfectly understandable English. "Your mother and the dictionary helped me learn."

"That's amazing," Isabel said. She poured herself a cup of coffee as well and joined them at the table. "How are you feeling?"

"I am well," Siana said. She showed no sign of her injuries of the previous evening, and had a healthy glow to her olive-toned skin. Wearing Isabel's dress, the girl looked absolutely ordinary, except for the shocking blue of her eyes. She touched the cup. "I enjoy this coffee. We drink something very much like it in my…country is the word? We call it caf."

Isabel nodded, absorbed by the sound of Siana's voice. Her accent was lyrical, almost like an Irish brogue. Her reverie was broken, however, by a very heavy hand knocking at their door.

"Who could that be?" Diane Evans asked.

When she left the table, Isabel leaned over and whispered: "You learned the entire language just today?"

"Jedi learn quickly," Siana explained.

They both looked up when Diane returned with three large men in black overcoats, suits and ties right behind her. "Isabel, these men were asking for you."

Isabel stood, the blood rushing from her face. Her reaction, though, was nothing compared to Siana's, who stood with a gasp. "These creatures," Siana said, "they are not human! They are of the Dark Side!"

While Diane stared with a perplexed expression, the three men shared a look, reached into their pockets, and pulled out three guns. "Mom!" Isabel cried.

Before she could act, however, Diane Evans somehow flew backward through the room into Siana's waiting arms, where she was just as quickly deposited on the ground. Before Isabel could even blink, the alien girl was back on her feet with an odd cylinder in her hands. "What are you?" she demanded of them.

The three men suddenly forgot all about Isabel. "You are one of the alien pilots," the shortest of the three said.

"Just as the other one said," the second said. And with that, all three lifted their guns and fired at Siana.

Diane's scream choked into silence when she saw a purple beam of light perhaps a meter long shoot out from the end of the cylinder. Siana swung the blade of light with astounding speed and expertise to intercept the bullets. The bullets disintegrated against the light with little sparks of light.

"What is happening here?' Diane whispered.

Two of the men continued firing at Siana while the third shifted his aim to Isabel. Isabel responded instinctively and unleashed the power of her alien heritage just as he fired. The man grunted as his body flew backward across the Evans' living room. He hit the carpet and lay still. At the same time, Siana rushed forward faster than Isabel could follow and in a second the two remaining men's heads fell to the ground. The bodies, however, did not.

"Oh my God!" Isabel gasped as the headless bodies dropped the guns and rushed them. She raised her hand and hit another one with her power, while Siana's light sword sliced through the remaining body so fast it was like watching an expert Japanese chef dicing food.

The body fell in pieces to the floor. There was no blood anywhere.

Siana turned to Isabel. "Your power is remarkable," she said. "It killed them instantly!"

"What is going on here?" Diane cried from the floor. She started to stand, just as Isabel fell to her knees. "Isabel?"

Siana saw it too—a spreading red stain from the young woman's stomach. She rushed to Isabel's side as she collapsed. "Max!" Siana said. "Call your son!"

"What if more of those…those men come?"

"I will protect you with my life," Siana said. "Call Max, now!"


	10. Assignment Earth

Jedi master Sabbath--Thank you, here you go.

ancient lantean--Yeah, Fort Sumner does not have a happy future in store.

Tilius--Thank you.

Well, although the reviews haven't increased that much, at least the hits have, indicating I am getting some readership. That's good. Reviews are better, though. Anyway, thanks for reading. Here is the continuation of the story.

Also, for those who are too young yet to remember the Original ST episode Assignment Earth, I have a good synopsis and summation of characters and universes in my Forums under Heaven Falls. Just FYI.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Assignment Earth**

Isle of Annan, Scotland, Friday, January 18, 2002, 8:33 p.m. GMT (2:33 p.m. MST)

When the odd blue plasma faded, Daniel Jackson found himself in a large home with a wide window looking out onto a snow-laden island overlooking over a rough, gray sea. The first thing he noticed was the cold. The second was the heavy, salty air. The third was the massive computer bank staring back at him.

"That's Asgard technology," he said.

"Really?" Roberta said innocently. "The Beta 6 is actually pretty old Asgard technology. From what I understand, they haven't used plasma transmission in their transporters for centuries. But it was good enough for us."

"Us?"

"Okay, well, me particularly. Are you hungry?" She led Jackson out of the computer room and into a large, drafty dining hall. However, in a far corner of the hall appeared to be a perfectly modern kitchen, complete with a stainless steel refrigerator and a microwave. She waved Daniel to a nearby table and chairs as she started preparing two cups of tea and a tray of…"Scones?" Daniel asked.

"Habit I picked up since I've been here," she said as she put the tray down, sat down herself, served the tea and leaned back to admire him. "You're cute. Good thing Rain isn't here or she'd be all over you."

"I'm not even going to ask," Daniel said. "So obviously you're not with the NID, FBI or NSA. You're not military. So who are you and what are you doing with an antique Asgard computer?"

"Like I said before, I'm Roberta Lincoln," she said with a cheerful smile. "And I use that Asgard computer to save the world. That's my job. To save the world from itself. So far, I can say I've saved the world five times."

"I've saved it twice," Daniel said. "But who's counting."

"Yeah. And even more directly than I did—especially with that alternate universe thing. That must have been scary. I know, I've been to an alternate universe where America created an empire that eventually came to span the galaxy. Me, I really just intervene when people are about to do something that will get everyone killed. I'm more of a behind the scenes type player." She sipped her tea and ate a scone.

"Okay, so what do I do now?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. I knew I had to get you out of there, but after that I'm open to suggestions."

"Can I call Sta…my boss?"

Roberta touched the surface of the ordinary-seeming glass table. Suddenly, there was a dial tone. She began touching the surface, and Daniel realized she was pressing colored keys that were only visible to her. A moment later, a familiar voice answered. "SGC. This is Harriman." The voice seemed to come from the center of the table.

"Walter!" Daniel said. "This is Dr. Jackson. Is Colonel O'Neill there?"

"Yes, Doctor. One moment."

"You don't have to yell," Roberta whispered. "It's very sensitive. They'll be able to hear you just fine."

A moment later, O'Neill's voice came through. "Daniel! Nice to hear you aren't dead. Teal'c says he's glad you're not dead too."

It was an odd greeting, even for the colonel. "Am I supposed to be?"

"That's what a Colonel Green from Rogers Air Force Base said. He was Army, though, so I wasn't positive since most of those grunts don't seem to know what they're doing. But he said you had an accident in your bathroom and were electrocuted to death. So, now that we know you're not dead, where are you?"

"I don't know," Daniel said.

"Scotland," Roberta whispered.

"Who's that?" O'Neill demanded.

"A friend. She saved me from being electrocuted to death. Listen, Jack, there's something fishy going on in New Mexico. They brought in a small army of federal agents to hunt down the alien, but I have a feeling they're not going for a live capture. After I called you, Colonel Green arrested me and was about to shoot me. The man's insane. And Jack, I'm pretty sure the alien is either human, or an Ancient."

Silence. Then: "Okay, that leaves two questions. What do you want me to do about it, and why in the hell are you in Scotland? And who is your friend? So, make that three questions."

"Hi, Jack," Roberta said. "I'm an agent of an advanced alien species. My job is to try and keep my fellow humans from blowing each other up too much."

In his mind, Daniel could see Jack screwing his face up in an attempt to assimilate that. "Yeah, sure, whatever," O'Neill said. "Daniel, get back to the SGC. Now. Then we'll talk about what to do next."

"Okay." The line went dead.

"Advanced alien species?" Daniel said to Roberta. "That would be the Asgard?"

"Don't know. I always called them the Aegis. My boss grew up on their world, but I never met them personally. But I believe in what they're trying to do. Since I got pulled into this in the 60's I've done and seen things I would never have believed. For ten years I fought in a world war against genetically engineered supermen that no one even knows occurred and sent them packing in a space ship no one knew launched, and now I'm trying to figure out what to do about this alien girl of yours."

"Alien girl? You've seen her?"

"My partner thinks she caught a glimpse. See, there are some other complicating factors."

"Like what?"

"She's not the only alien in Roswell. We think there's at least one or two more from a completely different planet. And a whole horde of them in that group of agents your government brought in. It's almost like a set of characters from a whole bunch of different books thrown into the same story. Frankly, I'm astounded any of you Stargate people were allowed in at all."

By now, Daniel gave up trying to figure out how this woman knew so much. "So, can you get me back to Stargate Command?"

"Only if you promise they won't try and shoot or arrest me," Lincoln said.

"That much I can promise," Jackson said.

* * *

"Kyle Katarn," Thor called. "I believe I have a solution for our plight."

"Yeah?"

"It appears we are not far from Cimmeria. It is a planet under Asgard protection and has a functioning Stargate. Even with our limited speeds, we can be there in a matter of an hour or so."

"Okay," Kyle said. "Let's do it."

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 2:38 p.m. MST

"I'm not leaving Maria behind!" Michael said as Agents Mulder, Scully and Doggett were trying to get Max, Michael and Liz in the car.

"Who's Maria?" Doggett huffed.

"Girlfriend," Michael said.

"Look, son, you got alien killers trying to take you out. They're not interested in your girlfriend. Just get in!"

Max shook his head and pulled out his cell phone. "Michael, just call her and tell her to lay low." As he started to hand it over, his phone rang. He glanced at the number and then answered. "Hello."

He heard his mother's frantic voice. "Max, help us! Some men showed up with guns, and Isabel's been shot! Help us!"

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Siana is here helping us, but your sister has been shot! Help us!" Max lowered the phone and looked first at the three FBI agents, then Michael.

"Isabel's been shot. At my house."

Liz covered her mouth. "Oh my God!"

Michael visibly paled, then turned to the agents. "And Maria doesn't have anything to worry about?"

"Mulder, Scully, you get Mr. Evans and Miss Parker to his parents' house," Doggett said. "I'll stay with Romeo here to get his girlfriend."

On the other side of town, Jim Valenti finished getting dressed and pulled on his boots. He had showered, shaved for the first time in a couple of days, and felt almost energized by the visit from the FBI. Things were happening, and he couldn't just stay where he was any longer.

Just then, his son Kyle stepped into the house shaking his head. "Dad, there's something going on at the school."

He looked up and then noticed the time. "What are you doing home so early?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Dad. There was something going on. Guns were being shot. I didn't see much, but they evacuated the whole school."

Jim grabbed his old Colt .45 revolver. "We need to get there."

He opened the door to leave and found three men in overcoats standing in the doorway. They wore black sunglasses, suits and ties. "James Valenti?" one of the three men asked.

Jim tensed inside and instinctively reached for the gun he had just tucked into his back belt. "Yes?"

The men reached into their coats.

Jim had almost twenty years in the sheriff's department and rose to be the sheriff through sheer competence. And after that many years of experience, he could tell by the ruffling of fabric and the movements of the men's coats that they were not reaching for badges.

He jumped back and slammed the door shut. "Kyle, get the shotgun!" he said.

Kyle obeyed instantly, but stopped, stunned, when a hand punched through the solid oak door and reached in to turn the handle. Jim had his pistol out, and the moment the door opened, he fired a round.

An outstanding marksman, Valenti was accustomed to hitting his targets. He was not, however, accustomed to his targets shrugging off a bullet to the head. He backed away, trying not to completely panic, as the lead man in black took a bullet between the eyes and continued pushing the door aside. The leader and both the other agents had guns in their hands and raised them to fire.

Suddenly, one of the men took on an odd white glow and completely disappeared. The other two spun as a second man in black glowed and disappeared. The third began firing. Just then, Kyle had recovered his senses and returned to the living room carrying the family shot gun. Valenti took the 12-gauge, double-barrel weapon, from hsi son pointed it at the back of the last man, and fired both barrels.

The man's head exploded into a mist of goo, but it was not any goo that Valenti would have expected. Rather than blood he saw a black, oozing substance coat the door and outside wall of his entryway.

Even more disturbing, the body did not fall down. The gun continued to fire at the hidden assailant outside, until at last the body took on the white glow and disappeared. "Everyone okay in there?" a woman called.

"Who is that?" Valenti demanded.

An attractive young woman with raven black hair, olive-toned skin and a smile of breathtaking beauty stepped into the door. "Hi," she said, slipping a silver pen into the breast pocket of her stylish suit. "Name's Rain Robinson. Are you Jim Valenti?"

"Yes. Who were those men? And what happened to them?"

"Well, I had to disintegrate them," Robinson said with a sad shrug. "Never actually had to do that to a human, but come to think of it, I still haven't. Come on, we need to get you boys out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know who you are. Who do you work for?"

"Right now I'm an FBI agent," she said. "Officially, at least. A few other agents managed to save some of your young friends, but I believe the girl—Isabel? She's been shot. I was going to take you to the Evans house so we could at least get the whole gang together."

"Isabel's been shot?" Kyle asked. "Is she okay?"

"Sweetie, I don't know," Rain said. "That's why we should go, all right?"

"Fine," the two Valenti boys assented at the same time.


	11. The Healing Touch

**Tilius**--Thank you.

Well, it's a good news bad news kind of day. The bad news is that after this my posting will drop back to just one a week. The good news is that so few people appear to be reading and reviewing that the disruption should be minimal ;) For anyone who is also reading the Legacy of the Red Sun trilogy, the first chapter of Part III will be posted next week as well.

Thanks for reading!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11: The Healing Touch**

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 2:50 p.m. MST

The car pulled up with squealing tires to the curb in front of the Evans house. A sheriff's Bronco was already there, and a small crowd had gathered across the street. Mulder and Scully led Max and Liz into the house to find Sheriff Dale Hanson standing with his feet shoulder-width apart, a gun in his hands, facing a young woman standing over the fallen body of Isabel Evans.

"Who are you people?" the sheriff said in a frantic voice.

Mulder and Scully both flashed their badges as Max rushed forward. "Siana, what happened?" Max said. Then he saw the bodies. Two were flung across the room and lay where they had fallen, but the third was literally cut into pieces.

"These creatures attacked us," Siana said in clear English. "I defended your mother and Isabel killed two, but one shot her while I was trying to save Diane. I am so sorry."

Max knelt down by his sister's side. "What is going on here, Max?" Sheriff Hanson demanded. "Who is this girl?"

"She was only protecting my family," Max said.

Hanson looked up at Mulder, who nodded. "Sheriff, I need a word with you. Outside."

"I'm not…"

"Now, Sheriff," Mulder said with a note of unyielding command in his voice. "This is a federal investigation. You are completely out of your jurisdiction. Please come with me."

When he got the Sheriff out of the living room, Max turned his attention back to his sister. Her eyes were closed and sweat poured from her forehead.

"Max," Diane Evans whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she removed a digital thermometer from Isabel's mouth. "What is going on? She's so hot!"

Isabel's eyes opened, and Diane whimpered at what she saw. Her daughter's eyes had gone completely white. "Tell her, Max," Isabel whispered. Just then Scully knelt down. "I'm a doctor," she said. "Please move so I can take a look at her."

Liz, however, also knelt down and put a hand on Scully's wrist. "Agent Scully, I don't think that'll be necessary."

Scully looked at her in confusion as Max put his hand on Isabel's stomach. There was a glow from inside his palm, shining up through his skin and down onto the bullet wound. Max strained in obvious effort, but a moment later, when he moved his hand, nothing remained but the outline of his hand in silver on Isabel's skin.

Diane sat back, leaning against their refrigerator as she covered her face in her hands. "I knew it!" she whispered. "Oh my God, I knew you could heal."

Max looked up at her, then slowly reached across to caress her cheek. He expected her to shy away in fear. Instead she took his hand in hers and held it to her cheek. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Mother. I wish I never had to. But if you knew what they did to me last year, you'd understand."

Isabel sat up whole and unharmed. Scully reared back as if slapped, while Liz simply wrapped Max's sister in a hug.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long," Isabel whispered to her mother. "You have no idea how hard it was lying to you."

"Honey," Diane said.

"We're not completely human," Max continued. "And not just us. Michael Guerin is one of us, and so was Tess Harding."

"Tess? Where did she go?"

"Back to our home planet."

It should have been too much for anyone to hear. But Max and Isabel had both underestimated the devotion of the woman who had adopted and raised them. Diane accepted their stories without question, and simply pulled her kids into a tight, loving embrace. "You never had to lie to me," she whispered. "I would have loved you the same no matter what."

Finally, after a long, drawn period of silence, Diane looked up at Siana. "So then, who are you?"

Siana shrugged and smiled. "I'm the alien they were searching for, I suppose. They just found your aliens first."

Scully stood and stared at Siana. "I am a Federal Agent of our government. You should know that I've been assigned to finding you."

"I know," Siana said. "But I sense no danger from you. Not like those creatures that attacked us."

Just then Mulder returned. He took one look at the touching tableau and then Siana. "So you must be our alien pilot."

"I am. Are you going to arrest me?"

"Nah," Mulder said, shrugging. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. But if you could cut up a supersoldier like that, I'd just as soon not try arresting you."

Just then more newcomers arrived. Jim and Kyle Valenti stepped through the open front door, followed by a young woman who looked vaguely familiar to Mulder. "Agent Robinson?" he finally recalled from her name tag at their briefing yesterday.

"Hi, Fox," Robinson said with a brilliant smile. "Hi, Dana. I thought I'd bring the Valenti boys over for a visit." She looked into the corner where the bodies lay. "I see they came here too. Thought they might."

Kyle turned and fumed. "So why didn't you come and use that little ray thingy on them and keep Isabel from being shot?"

"Triage, sweetie. Isabel's an alien hybrid. She can kill those fellas with a swipe of her hand. You and your dad couldn't. I had to defend those most in need of it. Sorry if that upsets you."

Kyle blinked. "Actually, that makes perfect sense." He looked up at her and said, "Thank you."

She patted his cheek, much to his embarrassment. "You Buddists are so cute!" She stepped past them and removed her pen. She twisted it as if to roll out the ink tip, but then pressed the clip and pointed it at one of the bodies. To the shock of all watching, (even the Valenties, who had seen the device work before) the body glowed white and then disappeared. She repeated the process for the second body, then turned to the third. "Oh my, someone got over excited." She looked up at Siana. "Let me guess, you're our pilot. Wasn't your hair blue?"

Isabel stood. "No point in hiding it, I suppose." She raised her hand over Siana's hair, and in moments the black faded back to the bright blue.

Rain smiled. "Honey, I think you're the prettiest thing I have ever seen. You look like a blue orchid!"

Siana smiled. "Thank you. Who are you?"

"Yes, who are you?" Mulder demanded. "And what was that weapon?"

"That's my servo. Rain Robinson's my name, saving the world's my game." She used the pen to disintegrate the pieces of the last super soldier. "This place is just crawling with aliens, isn't it? Speaking of, where's Guerin?"

* * *

"You have a car?" Doggett said.

"We can take Max's," Michael responded.

The two ran across the student parking lot after making sure no one was in the school. The place was already swarming with deputies and state police trying to identify the dead bodies in the hall way. Doggett waved through them with his badge and kept Michael a step behind.

"So you're FBI, huh?" Michael asked as they reached Max's convertible.

"Yep. And you're an alien, huh?"

"Half alien," Michael said. He started the car, and they pealed out of the lot. "So, how come you're not trying to kill or torture me like you guys did to Max last year? You know, the Special Unit?"

Doggett started. "What?"

"The Special Unit caught Max and tortured him for a day, and were starting to cut him open when I helped rescue him. You're telling me you didn't know about it?"

Doggett shook his head in disgust. "No wonder you guys stayed hidden. No, I didn't know about it. That's not what the FBI is about. We protect people. We don't torture people. Period."

Even as he said it, though, Doggett knew there were elements of the FBI that did not feel that same way. He was willing to bet Special Agent in Charge Tennenbaum was one of them.

"So where would she be, do you think?" Doggett asked.

"Crashdown."

"The café? We ate there just this morning."

"Liz's dad owns it, and she and Maria work there. So do I."

Michael ran a red light and glanced at Doggett, who shrugged. The town's law enforcement was otherwise occupied. Finally, they arrived. "Yep," Michael said. "She's in there."

The two jumped out of the car, leaving it on the road with the emergency blinkers on. As they rushed in, they found Maria behind the counter on her cell phone. "There you are!" she said as they came into the most empty café. The only other person there was Jeff Parker.

Maria rushed around the counter and into Michael's arms. Jeff, on the other hand, was looking at Doggett. "So, it seems like you guys found something to put in your report after all."

"Yeah," Doggett said. "Say, you're Liz Parker's dad, right?"

"Yes I am."

Doggett nodded and looked around. "Sir, you'd better come with us."

"What's this about?"

The bell over the front door rang, and Doggett turned to see three men enter. Three tall, plain-featured men in black suits and overcoats, wearing dark glasses. "Oh crap," he said.

This time, the men did not bother speaking. They reached for their guns. Doggett found his sooner and had three shots fired before the other men could react. Former army, former NYC cop; Doggett hit each man dead in the chest. It did not even slow them down.

"Holy Mary…." Jeff Parker started to say when Michael threw Maria into him, knocking both to the floor. He raised his hand and unleashed a flash of power. The lead man in black flew into the wall behind him and slid to the floor. Doggett continued firing, aiming now for the other men's weapons. He managed to hit the gun hand of one man, then felt a hammerblow of a bullet to his shoulder. His own shot provided enough of a delay, though.

His hand still extended, Michael struck down the second agent, and then the third. He spun round to Maria. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, bullet wound over here!" Doggett shouted.

So engrossed was he in Maria's health, Michael did not even hear. It was Jeff Parker who helped Doggett to his feet. "What was that all about?"

"Long story," Doggett muttered. "We came looking for the alien from the crash. Who the hell knew there were so many aliens already here."

Once Doggett was back on his feet, swaying from the gunshot, he quickly examined the otherwise empty café. "You married?" he demanded. "Your wife around here?"

As if in answer to the question, an attractive woman in her forties with long red hair stuck her head out from a back door. "Jeff, what's going on? Were those guns?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Parker," Doggett said, "I need you to lock this place up and come with us right now. Your lives are in danger."

"Let me guess," she said. "It's because of Max, isn't it?"

"Naw, it's my fault this time," Michael said. "Max got to save your daughter's life last time when she was shot, so I thought it was my turn to save someone. And now I've got half the world comin' after us."

* * *

Fort Sumner, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2006, 3:15 p.m. MST

Population: 1291.

921

853

784.

Nihl studied the fruits of his labors. Slaughtering a village helped work out the frustration he felt at being stuck on this primitive, disgusting world. Fort Sumner was like Tatooine without sandpeople—dry, desolate and with a population that stank of poverty and despair.

He saw a woman bolt from a gas station, running desperately across the street with a child of perhaps ten holding her hand. Nihl raised his hand and fired offa quick salvo of blaster fire. He needed the target practice, and moving targets were best.

That brought the population of Fort Sumner down to 782.

He first struck the school, which in a series of buildings appeared to serve all the youth of the community, regardless of age. He entered the school and beheaded the secretary before stepping into a classroom and unleashing the full fury of the Force in the form of lightening. Children and teachers alike screamed and fled from the rest of the classes—Nihl caused all doors to close, trapping his pray in the hallway. Nihl did not like humans, but he did appreciate the sounds of their screams.

Next he moved down the main street, crossing from side to side to empty each building of its inhabitants. A few cars tried pulling away—he shot them with his blaster. He knew others escaped from the side streets and he did not care. There was sufficient entertainment.

The law enforcement tried shooting at him—a skinny boy and a hugely fat man. Nihl broke the boy's neck with the Force, but deemed the larger man capable of some divertissement. As the police chief continued to fire and squeal like a frightened Gamorrean, Nihl flew at him faster than any normal human and sliced his huge stomach open with his saber cane. Then he stepped back and watched. "Does it hurt?" he asked the chief.

His sensitive ears detected a new sound—a distant rumble. He looked up and saw a contrail slicing across the cobalt sky. He focused with eyes capable of a 148 percent telescopic effect beyond that of any human. He saw a small object falling, and felt a spike of danger in the Force.

Tennebaum had betrayed him. He looked down at the dying chief, who was desperately trying to hold his stomach in. "You were not worth the time," Nihl snarled. Then, pulling on the Force, Nihl ran. He flew as a blur past buildings and trees. He came to a narrow, mostly dry river and leaped over the whole bed, landing on the other side with a puff of already cold breath. Then he ran some more. Behind him, his sensitive ears caught a slight whistle as the weapon the humans released continued to fall, but then a _poof_. He slowed long enough to turn back to the city in time to see a large object hooked to a primitive parachute fall into the middle of the village.

In Fort Sumner, as he lay dying, Police Chief Larry Schoffenheimer watched the bomb come down. He was a divorced father of three and grandfather of five, with a sixth coming. His family was all in Santa Fe. Like his friend Charlie Chavez, he was a Vietnam vet, and recognized what was coming.

He watched as the bomb sprayed out a fine mist of fuel just a few feet above the air, and then squeezed his eyes shut as the detonator went off.

On his hilltop a mile away from the city, Darth Nihl saw and then felt the explosion that vaporized all of Fort Sumner. The blast wave knocked the Sith lord to his back and stole the breath from his lungs. The sky darkened against the small mushroom cloud that formed. Nihl stood and admired the determination of his enemies to kill him. To sacrifice one's own people to destroy an enemy was a trait worthy of the Sith.

It also proved to Nihl that Tennenbaum was a dangerous enemy.


	12. A Jedi In Colorado

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**Beth Weasley**--When a Sith Lord admires your tactics, you know you're not a nice man.

**Voration**--I'm glad to have you reading. I'll be the first to admit I throw a lot of characters in the mix, but hopefully it'll all come together.

It's nice to see a few new faces. This story will never have the following that Gods of Dark and Light had, but I hope those who stick with it enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And for those who are, here is a special momet--Kyle Katarn is finally arriving on Earth!

Thanks for reading.

* * *

**Chapter 12: A Jedi in Colorado**

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Friday, January 18, 2002, 3:25 p.m. MST

The blue plasma faded and Daniel Jackson found himself standing in his research lab next to Roberta Lincoln.

"That was odd," he muttered, even after two trips still unaccustomed to Lincoln's method of transport. He turned and looked at her. "You know, I'm not even sure how to introduce you."

"Roberta will do just fine," she said with a cheery smile. "Come on, sweetie. Let's go meet your crew. General Hammond should be in today as well, if I read your base logs right."

Daniel did not even ask how she would have access to base logs. If she had access to an Asgard computer, regardless of how old or obsolete it was to the Asgard, she could hack practically any system in the world with ease.

The two of them stepped out of Jackson's labs into the familiar corridors of Stargate Command. As they started walking, two soldiers rounded a corner at a run. "Doctor Jackson!" one of the men said. "We received notice of an energy signal in your lab."

"That was us, I'm afraid," Jackson said. "Um, this is a guest of mine, but she doesn't have clearance. You might want to escort us to General Hammond just to follow forms."

The soldiers stared at Roberta and then with curt nods motioned for the two to continue down the hall. Roberta studied her surroundings intently. The Stargate program had come as a shock not only to her, but even to her retired boss, Gary Seven, who had returned from the Aegis to research it. They concluded that any action on their part to interfere would have dire consequences on their long term mission, and so let the program go.

Now, she realized it could be their salvation. If she could just figure out for sure what all was going on, that is.

As Daniel let her into the conference room, she could see two men in a side office talking. One wore stars, the other the wings of a full colonel. Both men looked up when they saw people in the conference room.

"Daniel," Colonel O'Neill said as he stepped into the conference room. "Still not dead, I see."

"Glad to see you too, Jack."

"Dr. Jackson," General Hammond said. "And you…do I know you from somewhere?"

"Moscow, 1993, I think," Roberta said. "I was acting as a translator for General Yarkov during one of your joint military summits. I let you buy me a drink, if I recall."

Hammond's cheeks flared red even as his brows furrowed. "Russian personnel do not enter my base without authorization."

Roberta waived the General's concern aside. "Oh sweetie, I'm a New York girl, I was just acting. If I remember correctly, a genetically engineered superman, can't remember if he was sent by Khan or Hunyadi, was about to kill the whole lot of you with sarin gas to try and start World War III. I managed to stop his agent and save your lives. So it was a well-deserved drink you bought me."

Daniel stared. "Was that one of your six world saves?"

"Five, but who's counting. And yep, it sure was," Roberta said, beaming. "I'm pretty proud of it myself!"

"Who are you, then?" Hammond said.

"My name is Roberta Lincoln, and my job is to save the world. Literally."

"She has an old Asgard computer," Daniel said. "She might actually even work for them."

"Asgard?" O'Neill asked. "Love those little guys. But wouldn't Thor have told us they had people on this planet?"

Suddenly they heard the distinctive rumble of the gate, and Walter Harriman's voice announcing: "Unscheduled activation."

A moment later, Thor stood before them. Or rather, a holographic projection using the near miraculous Asgard technology and then sent through the gate. "Thor! Buddy!" O'Neill said. "Speak of the Devil, and an Asgard comes instead.

"Colonel O'Neill," Thor said with a nod. He looked and sounded as if he were really there. "General Hammond and Doctor Jackson, greetings. And you must be agent 368. Fanfir has told me you are the first native Terran to take over the Aegis operation as supervisor. Congratulations."

Roberta nodded. "Thank you. It's an honor to finally meet one of you face to face, so to speak."

"The honor is ours," Thor said. He turned to Hammond. "I apologize for dialing unannounced, but I wish to ask a favor on behalf of a friend to the Asgard."

"If it is within my power, I'll be glad to help," Hammond said.

"On the other side of the gate stands a man named Kyle Katarn. He has traveled from across the twenty-eight known galaxies to find a lost ward of his. The Asgard believe she crashed on this world last night."

"You mean he crossed twenty-eight galaxies in one day?"

"He found an Asgard researcher on the rim of his galaxy and implored us for help, which we gladly provided. Most recently, he saved me from an unexpected attack from a Gao'uld fleet."

"How did he do that?" O'Neill asked.

"In his galaxy, he is a member of an order of warriors called Jedi who are able to tap into forces previously only mastered by ascended beings. This makes them very formidable opponents. He is a man of honor, but I urge you to consider he single-handedly defeated the personal guard of Osiris, and then Osiris herself, in the course of seconds."

Roberta nodded. "He's going to want our help in returning her," she said.

"Yes."

"Thor," Robert**a **said, "I just tried beaming us back to Roswell. There's some kind of shield over the whole area. I can't beam my agent or any of the aliens there out."

Thor nodded. "There are many pieces in play on this world. The Antar fleet has mobilized for the first time in fifty years. And the forces of Anubis are gathering as well. The arrival of the Jedi in this galaxy has had many unexpected consequences. I only wish the Asgard could be of greater assistance."

"Replicators, huh?" O'Neill asked. "Nasty little buggers."

"Indeed. Although with this as well, Master Katarn has been most helpful. He wishes to cross the Stargate. May I tell him to do so?"

O'Neill looked at Hammond and shrugged. The general nodded. "Very well, we'll open the iris."

"Thank you, General Hammond."

With the zinging-clang that also marked their transporters, the holographic image of Thor disappeared. Hammond said: "Walter, open the iris."

"Yes, sir." The trinium-enhanced titanium petals of the iris pulled back to reveal the shimmering surface of the wormhole.

"So we're about to meet a man from across the known universe," Jackson said, a note of excitement in his voice. "I wonder what he'll be like."

They saw a single figure emerge from the shimmering light, which flickered out of existence a second after. The figure swayed, knelt down on the grating of the ramp, and then threw up.

"About like us," O'Neill surmised as he remembered his first trip through the gate.

* * *

Kyle Katarn didn't know what to expect when he stepped through the Stargate, but it was certainly not the hellish experience he encountered. The very second he stepped through, his Jedi senses overwhelmed him as he left his universe and fell through the abyss of space and time. His skin burned and his brain exploded again and again, like the clicking of an ancient chrono, as he felt himself falling through the void.

Then it was over. The whole passage took less than a second, and yet felt like an eternity. The shock of a new world struck him instantly, and he felt himself sway and drop to one knee, where he then threw up for the very first time in his adult life.

"You do not look well," someone said. By virtue of the Asgard Language Acquisition Device, he understood the words, but it took him a moment to recover before he could respond.

He looked up to see a powerful looking man with dark skin and an odd, golden symbol stamped to his forehead. Behind him stood a squad of what looked like soldiers in camouflage uniforms holding odd projectile weapons.

Kyle took a deep breath. "Do you people actually use that thing?" he said, hitching his thumb back at the gate.

"Indeed," the dark man said. "Many people respond poorly to their first trip."

"I bet," Kyle said as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Well, that wasn't the awe-inspiring entrance I was hoping for. Are you the boss?"

"I am not."

"That would be me. I'm General George Hammond, commander of this installation." Hammond strode through a side door with a small party on his heel. He offered his hand in a gesture even Kyle recognized. He took the offered hand.

"Kyle Katarn. I understand from Thor you people may have a friend of mine."

"That's a long story," Hammond said. "If you come with me, we'll see what we can find out."

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 3:40 p.m. MST

Philip Evans sat in his office a few blocks from the County Courthouse and stared at his map. It was not like an ordinary map; rather it was a map of people and events, all linking to his son Max.

In October of 2001, Max Evans and Liz Parker stormed a convenience store. Liz had a gun, and held the cashier at gunpoint while Max did something else. They stole no money. That incident nearly landed Liz in jail, until Philip followed his son back to the convenience store, and from there into a cleverly hidden underground storage room filled with tetryl, a hazardous byproduct of old style explosives.

A threat to release a sample of the tetryl to the public managed to get Liz out of jail, but the fact Max refused to tell his father what he was really doing in that bunker made Philip realize how very little he knew about his son. The fact that Max then moved out rather than be made to tell the truth reinforced that realization.

And so Philip Evans stood before a map of his son's life, trying to figure out what that terrible secret was that essentially took his boy away from him.

Jesse Ramirez stepped in. "Philip, are you okay?"

Philip closed the board he was looking at and smiled. "I'm fine. What do we have on the Adama case?"

"No Miranda reading and a first offense," Jesse said. "We could probably get it thrown out on a technicality."

Just then their secretary, Lacy, stepped into the room. "Mr. Evans, your wife is on the phone."

Philip nodded his thanks and picked up at his desk. "Hello, Diane. What…" Jesse had started to leave, but stopped when Philip motioned him not to. "I don't understand what you're saying, dear. Okay, okay, I'll come home. I'll bring Jesse too."

He hung up, shaking his head. "I've never heard her that frantic before. Well, she asked me to come and to bring you, so I guess Isabel's there too."

"Okay," Jesse Ramirez said. He was still getting used to being his boss's son-in-law. As the two lawyers started to leave, their suite entrance was blocked by a single man with thinning hair wearing a brown overcoat and a gray suit. "Mr. Evans?"

"Yes?"

The man removed a badge. "Ronald Tennenbaum, FBI. May I have a word with you?"

"Regarding what, Agent Tennenbaum?"

"Your children, sir." Tennenbaum nodded to Jesse. "This concerns you as well, Mr. Ramirez."

The two attorneys moved back to Philip's office with Tennenbaum a step behind them. The FBI agent sat down in a proffered chair while Jesse pulled one around to the side of Philip's desk.

"Mr. Evans, as you know, several months ago your son was involved in a robbery in Utah."

"And those charges were dismissed."

"Yes." Tennebaum nodded. "I'm aware of the tetryl issue. However, what you are not aware of is why your son was there, and where the tetryl came from."

"And you're going to explain it to me?" Philip asked.

"He was looking for his spaceship. Your son is not human."

The three men sat in absolute silence, one staring at the other. Finally it was Philip who broke the silence. "Could you explain that?"

Tennenbaum reached into his coat pocket and removed a large color photo of what looked like green plant cells. "That, Mr. Evans, is a photograph of your son's blood cells recovered from a partially wiped database belonging to a special unit of the FBI. He looks human. His bones and organs are all in the right places. But he is an alien life form. And we believe he has committed murder on several occasions." He produced a series of photos, one after the other of dead bodies with… "You'll notice the hand prints. That's how he kills. His touch evidently can heat the internal organs of a victim to over a 180 degrees Fahrenheit. He is deadly."

"This is a sick joke," Philip declared. "I want you out of my office."

"Mr. Evans, in the past two days we have lost twelve soldiers, two NSA agents and nine of my FBI agents. My nine agents were killed today while trying to apprehend your son and his friends. Nine agents, Mr. Evans. And as far as I know, Max and his cohorts are at your house right now, holding your wife and three more FBI agents' hostage. This is not a joke, Mr. Evans. This is happening right now."

"What about Max's sister?" Jesse said, his face completely unreadable. "Is she held hostage too?"

"Actually, Mr. Ramirez, it's entirely possible Isabel is an alien too. We believe that they assisted the pilot of the UFO that crashed in Fort Sumner yesterday. The pilot is likely one of them."

Philip did not trust Tennenbaum for a moment, but when he looked over to the cabinet that contained the map of Max, he suddenly found it difficult to completely dismiss the story. Diane was convinced that Max was more than he appeared, and his mysterious behavior of late seemed stranger than ever.

"Hypothetically speaking, say we believe you. What is it you expect us to do? Alien or not, he is still my son."

"He is not your son, Mr. Evans. He is a murderer holding your wife hostage. Her life is in immediate danger. What you should do is to help me get her and my agents out safely."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"I have an idea," Tennenbaum assured him.


	13. A Convergence of Events

Wow, I had the most reviews ever. I know this one will never attract the reviews that Gods of Dark adn Light and Legacy of the Red Sun do, but it still nice to see reviews once in a while. Thanks to everyone for reading!

**AStormIsBrewing**--You bet, here you go.

**Beth Weasley**--The good guys are definitely coming together.

**ancient lantean**--Kyle finally made it! The bigger battle will come in Part II, and it will be a whopper.

**Voration**--Thank goodness Kyle's not an egomaniac--that would have been enough to drive him nuts. As it was, he got over it pretty quick. Gotta love Kyle.

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 13: A Convergence of Events**

Rogers Air Force Base, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 5:15 p.m. MST

Major Samantha Carter stared at the alien console inside the recovered UFO in a state of shock. Just four hours ago, Colonel Green came to tell her the bad news.

"We're not sure how it happened, Major," the colonel said. "The breaker switch did not function properly and he was killed almost instantly. We've already contacted Air Command."

Four hours. It was amazing how much could change so quickly. Four hours ago, she was eating lunch with her friend. Now Daniel was dead.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see a pregnant Shannon Janeway looking at her compassionately. "Are you all right?"

Sam wiped her eyes with the base of her palm and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "I just can't believe he's really dead this time."

"This time?"

"Long story." She looked down at her folded hands.

"I have a confession to make," Shannon said. "I really hate it here. I'm going to ask to be released from my contract. I think I'll be able to use my pregnancy as an excuse."

Sam took the other woman's hand. "I'll miss you, but I understand. This Colonel Green doesn't know how to work with civilians. Or anyone, for that matter. It's beyond me why he was selected for this project."

Suddenly a klaxon went off. The two researchers stepped out of the alien shuttle just as a swarm of soldiers descended not only on them, but all the researchers. Colonel Green came walking right behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I must ask everyone to assemble in the conference room immediately, please." With soldiers flanking them, the technicians had little choice but to obey. When the hundred or so technicians were gathered in the conference room, Green walked to the front podium.

"There has been a significant breach of security, both inside and out of this base. We have determined that there were at least two occupants of the alien craft. One is directly responsible for at least seven civilian deaths and the deaths of the entire first response team. The second occupant likely received aid from outside sources and is believed to be in Roswell at this time. This belief was reinforced when nine agents of the FBI were killed. Therefore, we have determined the occupants of this craft are extremely dangerous and must be destroyed at all cost.

"More disturbing, however, we have discovered a researcher missing. Helen Swanson was reported missing shortly after lunch. We have reason to believe that she was either a foreign operative, or possibly worse.

"Because of these serious security threats, all research on the craft will be temporarily halted. All personnel are to go immediately to their quarters and remain there until authorized by me. Meals will be provided. I realize this is an inconvenience, but we have reason to believe your lives are in immediate danger. To this extent, we will do whatever is necessary to ensure your safety. Dismissed."

Angry researche**r**s rose to their feet to ask questions, and were the very first ones to be yanked out of the room by the soldiers. Carter watched incredulously as civilian researchers were roughly caught and escorted out like prisoners.

"Colonel Green," she said, pushing her way through the thinning crowd. "This is entirely unacceptable. I demand to speak with General Hammond immediately."

Green turned toward her, and Sam had to pause. She had faced alien warlords and threats beyond imagining, and knew danger when she saw it. She recognized the look on Green's face as pure, murderous rage bordering on insanity. "You demand? You demand! I am in command of this base, _Major_, and while you are on this base you will do as you are ordered, or I will have you shot for insubordination. Do I make myself clear?"

"With all due respect, _Colonel_, I am a major in the United States Air Force and I will not be threatened by an army colonel. Either get me to a phone to call my superior officer, or open the door and let me leave."

Green pulled his pistol and put it to her forehead. "Sam!" Janeway called.

"I should shoot you right now," he muttered.

"Do, and you'll face the death penalty," Sam answered back, eyes narrowed in rage. "Let me call General Hammond, or put me on a plane out of here. Now."

"Wrong answer," he snarled. Before the stunned Shannon Janeway and two other technicians, Green raised his hand and pistol-whipped Carter in the temple, dropping her like a stone. "Get this Air Force trash back to her room and lock the door," he snarled to his men. "Her too," he added, motioning toward Janeway.

* * *

Two groups sat on two couches staring at each other over a glass-topped coffee table with a large photography book titled "Capturing the Grand Canyon." On one side of this living room chasm sat Diane Evans, Amy Deluca (whom Doggett picked up at Michael's and Maria's insistence) and Jeff and Nancy Parker.

On the other side, Max and Isabel Evans sat with Liz Parker between them, with Michael Guerin and Maria Deluca sitting on the left arm of the couch and Kyle Valenti hanging on the other. Off to the side, Jim Valenti stood with Special Agents Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and John Doggett, while on the opposite side, by a long unused fireplace, Siana Delun sat cross-legged on the floor. Rain Robinson lounged in an armchair a few feet from Siana.

The air between the two couches was thick enough to choke on.

"You're aliens?" Jeff Parker was finally able to say.

Max looked at Liz and nodded. The two were holding hands so tightly, their fingers were turning white. "When Liz was shot two years ago, I used my powers to heal her. That's when other people began realizing who and what we were. I didn't mean to put her in danger."

"And what happened at Utah?" Nancy Parker demanded.

"We were looking for the ship that brought Max, Michael and Isabel to earth," Liz said. "We'd heard there was a government bunker under that store, and we were right. Max found it, but by the time he got back after he was released, the government had moved it. I guess they didn't clean up enough, though. The chemicals Max found are what got me out of jail."

"And Philip knew about this?" Jeff demanded.

It was Diane who answered. "No, Jeff, neither of us did. That's why Max moved out—he didn't want to lie to us, but he didn't think he could tell the truth."

"And now you know why," Max said. "You're all in danger because of me."

"Technically, that's not true," Mulder interjected. "You're all in danger because of her." He pointed to the blue-eyed, blue-headed girl sitting directly opposite him. She sat with her eyes closed, as if not listening to a word any of them said. "She was the pilot of that UFO and is what started all this."

Doggett separated himself and went to look out the windows. "Still no company I can see," he muttered. "But I have a bad feeling about this." He closed the front blinds.

"There are forty men surrounding this house," Siana said abruptly, though without opening her eyes. "They are under orders to shoot anyone who attempts to leave."

Everyone stared at her. "And how do you know that?" Doggett demanded.

"I sense their presences in the Force," she said. "All are ready to take our lives."

"The Force again," Mulder said. "You'll have to tell me about it sometime. Does this Force tell you how to get out?"

Siana shook her head and opened her eyes with a sigh. "Nothing. I'm sorry—the only way we can escape is to kill all those waiting outside."

"Forty snipers," Doggett muttered with a shake of his head.

"I agree," Siana said. "I know I could do it, but the thought of killing that many people is hard for me to contemplate. I do not sense they are evil, only led by those who are."

Her casual assumption that she could kill 40 snipers made everyone stare.

She didn't seem to notice. "There is something else, though. I sense…the Dark Side here. More than just with those creatures that attacked us. Something evil is coming. But I can't pinpoint exactly what."

"Well, there's definitely something going on," Rain just announced. "I can't contact my supervisor or get us out. That means there's some kind of fairly advanced jamming going on. If we can just get outside the area of that jamming, I should be able to get everyone out of here."

"How?" Scully asked.

"Would you believe I have a teleportation device?"

Mulder shrugged. "At this point I'd believe about anything." He took a quick headcount. "There are sixteen of us. That's a pretty big group to move."

"Someone is coming," Siana said.

They turned expectantly and watched as the locks on the door turned. The three FBI agents and Jim Valenti pulled their firearms as Philip Evans opened the door. He raised his hands when he saw the weapons. "Holy…what's going on here?"

Jesse Ramirez stood right behind him. Doggett rushed to the door, grabbed both men and pulled them in before shutting the door behind them. Isabel flew from the couch into Jesse's arms. "Oh God, Jesse, I was afraid they got you!"

He returned her embrace, but then held her out at arms' length. "Isabel, is that blood on your blouse?"

Diane rose from the couch. "Philip!" She hugged her husband and then pulled him into the room. "There's so much to tell you!"

"Wait, please!" Siana said. Philip turned and stared at the girl, shocked by both her hair and eyes.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Diane, why are all these people in our house?"

Siana rose gracefully from her position on the floor and stepped directly in front of him. Her head barely came to his shoulders. Slowly, she held her hand up to his chest as the others watched. "You have a recording device on you," she said.

"Oh crap," Mulder muttered. He rushed forward and yanked Evans' shirt open to see not just a wire tap, but also a digital video feed. He ripped both devices off, much to Philip's chagrin, and ground them to the floor. He turned to Siana. "Are they coming?"

"No, they're waiting for something," Siana said. She took a step back and looked up at Philip. "You believed we were in danger."

"Agent Tennenbaum told me you and Max were holding Diane hostage."

"Tennenbaum may be a rogue agent," Mulder said. "There were a series of attempted abductions all over town. Every victim has been gathered here."

Suddenly Siana gasped and backed away, her face pale and her eyes terrified. "No!" she whispered. "By the Force, it can't be!"

It was Isabel who took her hands. "What it is, Siana?"

"He is here."

"Who?"

"The Sith who slaughtered my family and friends," she whispered. "I can feel his presence close by. That's what the men outside were waiting for. They were drawing Darth Nihl to us."

She removed a silver cylinder from her dress, and then ripped the dress off at the knees to allow greater movement. "We must leave this house, now."

"What about those snipers?" Doggett asked.

Siana bowed her head and flipped a switch on the cylinder. A beam of purple energy emerged. "I will deal with the snipers and contact Isabel when it is time to flee."

"That's not…" Doggett started to say.

He stopped when Siana raised a hand to the window and somehow blew out not just the glass, but the frame. And then, faster than anyone in the room could follow, Siana Delun disappeared into the night. Moments later, everyone in the house could hear the sounds of screams. The screams were all male, and came from all around them.

"My god," Jeff Parker whispered, echoing what everyone in the room was thinking.

Isabel sat up. "It's time!" she said. She grabbed Jesse's hand and dove through the window. Max and the rest of the kids followed, leaving the adults no choice but to do the same.

They found Siana at the side of Valenti's Suburban holding a pair of very large sniper rifles. "I thought these would be useful," she said as she tossed one to Doggett and one to Valenti. Everyone noticed moisture on her cheeks, but no one said anything.

"Everyone pack in as tight as you can," Valenti said. "Third row seating. I can fit eleven in here."

"We'll ride with you," Max said as he, Liz, Michael, Maria, Isabel, Jesse, Kyle and Siana climbed in.

Doggett led the Parkers and Amy Deluca to Max's convertible, while Mulder took Rain Robinson by the elbow. "Why don't you ride with us," he suggested. "I'd love to hear more about what part of the FBI you're really with." Scully and the Evans' family followed.

In the Suburban, Siana sat in the front seat while the rest huddled behind. Valenti gunned the engine and they roared forward away from the Evan's home. Although no longer sheriff, he still had his police scanner, and turned it on the moment they were on the move. The first thing he heard was: "We have an officer down, Highway 20. Vehicle has been stolen."

With absolute certainty, Siana said, "That is Darth Nihl."

From the back, Max said: "Can you tell us about him?"

Siana took a deep breath. "It is hard to descript the Sith. Our whole galaxy knows of them, of what they can do and what they are. They are servants of the Dark Side of the Force, and Darth Nihl is among the Dark Side's most loyal practitioner**s**."

_A deputy's vehicle arrives at the side of a house. The front door of the house is open, and nearby there are bodies in the bushes. Darth Nihl leaves his vehicle and stands before the open door, feeling the echo in the Force of the Jedi who had once been there. _

"The Sith have existed for as long as the Jedi. They are the opposite to everything we are. The Jedi use the Force to protect and serve civilization. The Sith use the Force to control, manipulate and enslave civilization. The Jedi use the Light Side of the Force for defense. The Sith use the Dark side for attack. They are capable of unspeakable evil."

_A series of police cars arrive, both county deputies and state troopers. Uniformed officers pour out of their vehicles with their weapons at hand. Overhead a helicopter on loan from Albuquerque hovers ominously. "Raise your hands and lay down on the ground," a loudspeaker shouts._

_Darth Nihl grins._

"The Sith use fear and hatred to give them power," Siana told them. "They feed off negative emotions. For them, to hurt the innocent is not only allowable, it is desirable. They are killers."

_Lightning flashes over the cars. Deputies and state troopers scream as they die, while nearby civilians gasp in terror. Throwing the ground forces in turmoil, Nihl raises his blaster and fires twice. The helicopter explodes and falls flaming to the ground in the middle of the street. He ignites his saber-cane and flies toward the nearest officers not to die under the barrage of lightning. _

"For thousands of years, the Sith were limited to just two, Master and Apprentice, and with just those two managed to topple the galactic Republic and turn it to an Empire. The Empire fell before a race of gods that attacked us, and when we repelled the Ori, the Jedi were restored and the galaxy knew at least some peace."

_The sound of screaming deputies and state police echo through the town. More and more cars come, and more and more men die. Civilians flee in terror, while still others from further away came to see what is happening. Those that come too close perish. _

"But something changed in the Sith order. The Rule of Two vanished, and suddenly there were hundreds, and then thousands of Sith. The Jedi found themselves fighting a full-scale war against Dark Side Force users, and we were overwhelmed. With the aid of the Sith, the empire defeated the Alliance. Two days later they came to the Jedi Praxeum and attacked. We Jedi fought as best we could, but there were tens of thousands of Imperial storm troopers and Sith. Everyone died. My mother and father, my grandparents—everyone. Darth Nihl led the attack against the Jedi. He killed my master, and any other Jedi who fought him. And I realize now he must have stowed aboard the shuttle I escaped in to try and locate the remnant of the Federation so he could destroy them as well. But something happened to my motivator and it thrust me across the galaxy to this world."

"How dangerous is he?" Valenti asked.

"He is a Dark Lord of the Sith, and one of Darth Krayt's personal hands. He can kill with a thought and shoot Force lightening from his hands. He can move faster than a non-Force user can see, and jump distances you cannot imagine. He is an army in himself, and he hates humans."

_Amidst the fires of burning cars and a shattered helicopter in the middle of the street, Darth Nihl surveys the fruits of his labor. He steps over the bodies of the fallen police officers and civilians alike, and knows that he is unstoppable on this world._

_A figure emerges in front of him. Tennenbaum._

_Nihl ignites his lightsaber. "Are you ready to die, worm?"_

"_Kill me if you must. But we know where the Jedi is going," Tennenbaum says._

"_You betrayed me."_

"_I was betrayed," he says. "That bomb was sent by a man named Colonel Green. I had no knowledge of it until afterward. I can help you get the Jedi."_

_Nihl sweeps his hand over the wreckage. "I am unstoppable. Cross me again, and you will know pain such as your world has never seen."_

_Tennenbaum nods. "Thank you."_

"Are you okay?" Jim Valenti asked gently.

Siana looked up at him, her eyes moist. "A Jedi is not supposed to know fear," she whispered. "But I can feel what he is doing. He is at Isabel's house now. He has killed your police."

Jim looked reflexively in the rear-view mirror, even though they were already far from the neighborhood. Even so, he thought he could see a flash of light coming from the house. "Do you know how many of them he's hurt?"

"All of them," Siana said. "That I can sense, anyway. He's killed all the officers in this city. I'm sorry."

Jim found it hard not to stare. Between the city, county and state, there were perhaps two hundred officers in or around Roswell. For all of them to be dead… "I hope you're wrong," he said.

"I wish I were," she answered.


	14. The Drive to Santa Fe

**Tilius**--Thank you.

**LordTarr**--Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it. It would make a fun movie. I keep seeing Darth Nihl putting down the road in a '67 Chevy pickup. Hehe.

**Ancient Lantean**--The chronology is very tightly paced. By the time the public has enough to really start digesting all the facts, coverups will be the last thing on anyone's mind. I have the story segmented in 4, going on 5 parts, and each part is in itself a unified narrative, but the story itself is quite large. I'm going on 160,000+ words so far.

I hope you stick around for the ride, because what happens in Part I is just the beginning.

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Drive to Santa Fe**

Clines Corners, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 8:22 p.m. MST

They stopped at a large truck stop called Clines Corners to fill up tanks and regroup. The Suburban, convertible Chevelle and Ford rented sedan pulled into the relatively modern-looking gas station and lined up along each of three pumps. Around the station, large trucks parted or refilled their tanks.

The whole lot of them got out and gathered under the lighted canopy of the pumps to plan their next steps. Around them, night had already fallen. Siana realized as she climbed out that this was still her very first day on the planet Earth, and she was exhausted.

Nor was she alone. From Max and Liz to even Agent Mulder, who stood by one of the pumps stifling a yawn, she knew that every one of these people was exhausted. And she knew they were in danger solely because of her.

Nearby she could see Philip Evans talking with his son, a look of shame and penance clearly written across his features. Max looked like he was on the verge of tears, while Liz stood between her parents, explaining the secret life she had been leading with Max and the other aliens.

Siana drifted silently away from the group and entered what appeared to be a large store/restaurant. There were several men inside aside from the one behind the cashier's station. That one was perhaps a year or two older than Siana, with light brown skin and a scraggly attempt at a beard. He watched her intently, studying her legs, now exposed to her thigh where she had torn her dress. His attention interested her not so much because she found him attractive, but because he so obviously found her to be.

Under the Jedi order as reformed by Grand Master Luke Skywalker, marriage and romantic attachment was no longer forbidden to the Jedi, but it was for obvious reasons frowned on for padawans. It was a rule that Siana had always agreed with, since the stress of becoming a Jedi was to her bad enough without having to deal with typical teenage romantic trysts as well.

Perhaps it was for that reason that she had never considered whether she was attractive or not. Then again, she realized with a smile, he might just have liked her hair. She walked up to the counter. "Do you think I am pretty?"

He smiled in a serpentine fashion. "You're hot," he said with a thick accent she had come to learn was Spanish. "I love the hair, baby."

She returned his smile. "Thank you."

Just then Isabel stepped in. The boy behind the counter seemed almost to melt as the two women stood side-by-side. "Baby baby," he said. "Two of you."

"Back off, Suave," Isabel said dismissively. "Siana, let's go. We're ready."

Siana nodded and let herself be guided back to the vehicles. Before they crossed the otherwise empty parking lot, though, she paused. "Isabel?"

Isabel stopped and turned. "Are you all right?"

"I've put you all in danger," Siana whispered. "You are all acting so selflessly. But I can't keep putting you in danger like this. You have to leave me here."

Isabel blinked. "First off, Michael put us in danger by rescuing us. He puts us in danger a lot, so we're used to it. Second off, you're my friend. You're Max's friend. We never leave friends behind. Third, we have been in danger since the day we arrived here, Siana. We're even more alien than you are, and the government has been hunting us for years. Your arrival may have started things, but they were going to happen sooner or later anyway."

She took Siana's hands. "We're not leaving you behind. And you saw we're not without our defenses."

Siana found herself staring into Isabel's eyes, struck by the compassion there. She reached up and touched Isabel's temple and reached with the Force. "What an incredible Jedi you would make," she finally said. "You could touch the Force if you had training, I feel it. Between the Force and your own powers, you would be the most powerful Jedi ever."

"Then you'll have to stay around to teach me, won't you?" Isabel declared brightly. "Come on. We're going to go to Santa Fe. That lady named Rain said she could get us to safety if we get far enough away from Roswell."

Siana nodded and rejoined the group to discover an interesting development in the decision making.

"I am not leaving Maria alone!" Amy Deluca said. "I don't care how many guns you wave in my face, I'm staying with my daughter."

"What's going on?" Isabel asked Max as they rejoined the group.

"The FBI agents mentioned splitting the group up," Max said softly as Amy Deluca argued with Agents Mulder and Scully. "It's actually a pretty good idea, but mom and dad aren't thrilled about it either."

Isabel looked around at the head count. "It is a pretty big group," she whispered. "Who would go with whom?"

"Aliens together," Max said, smiling down at Liz, who stood with her arm around his back, and his arm around her shoulder. "And Liz and Maria of course. I suppose Jesse could come with us as well. The rest go elsewhere."

Isabel nodded and walked around the listening group to see Jesse. Siana stayed by Max and Liz. She sensed the bond between them, but also an odd build-up of energy within Liz. The young girl seemed to be taking on some of the Force signature of Max, though Siana did not know how that could be. But there was more—a dynamic and a tension that even just in one day appeared to be getting stronger.

It suddenly dawned on her what was happening between them. She knew from their story that Max had saved her. And from her own experience being healed…her eyes widened as she looked within herself. There it was, just as she suspected. Within the heart of her Force signature was a new, alien energy similar in essence to Max. When he healed her, he shared a part of his life energy with her. That energy stayed, and increased with her. He had made her a little like himself.

Just as he made Liz a part of himself. Only, the energy exchanged between them was much more intense, and was quickly growing out of balance within Liz. In fact, Siana could see where there would be a critical mass of energy reached in the young woman that could harm, or possibly even kill her. Somehow, she and Max needed to balance that energy out together.

Siana smiled when she realized the best way to achieve that balance. The problem, she saw, was that Liz did not appear ready for that step, and Siana could not blame her. In fact, they were the very same age, and the idea of a physical relationship was actually a little frightening.

"I'm not doing it!" Amy Deluca declared with finality. "I'm not leaving my girl!"

"Neither are we," Philip Evans and Jeff Parker both announced.

Max watched the entire exchange, and Siana could see his jaw set as he made a decision. The others deferred to him instinctively, and for good reason. He had an air of calm reserve that made for a natural leader; perhaps a genetic memory from his previous life as a king.

His decision was firm and dramatic. Max stepped into the middle of the group, held up his hand, and somehow generated a blue-green field of energy that made all the parents gasp and back away. He let the field collapse and stared directly at his, Liz's and Maria's parents. "Ms. Deluca, we can defend Maria a thousand times better than you could ever hope to. Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Parker, the same is true for Liz. And you saw what Siana can do. Your staying with us is not helping us, it's hindering us. They are not after you. They are after us. And Maria and Liz, for better or worse, are part of us. We ARE splitting up, because none of us can stand the thought of all of us getting killed because we had to spread our energy too thin trying to protect everyone here, rather than just the true targets. I love you too much to risk your lives like that."

The adults stared in open shock. Amy Deluca stuttered a few times, desperate not to let go, but unable to articulate a response to the demonstration. Finally, Maria came and gave her mom a tight hug. "I love you, Mom. But I love Michael too. And I know he will protect me. He would give his life for me, and for you too. Trust me. Trust them. I do."

"Liz," Nancy Parker said.

Liz shrugged and smiled as she sauntered over to her parents. "You know how I feel about Max. I'm going to stay with him, no matter what." She leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed each on their cheeks. "You will never know how much I love you, and how grateful I am for all you've done for me. I'm a part of Max, though, and he's a part of me. I hope you can understand."

Nancy Parker did not appear thrilled, but Siana watched a strange progression of expressions flash across Jeff Parker's face as he looked down at his little girl. Suddenly the Jedi padawan felt a lump in her throat as she remembered her own father's expression when he discovered she had been apprenticed to Master Kol Skywalker himself.

"All right," Jeff Parker said, his voice tremulous. "I'm proud of you, Liz. And I love you." He looked up at Max, who had wandered over. "You'll keep my little girl safe, won't you?"

"With my life," Max vowed.

In the midst of the goodbyes, Siana felt a sudden spike of emotion and looked to see Jesse and Isabel speaking quietly with each other. Isabel was quietly weeping, and Jesse looked stricken. She understood what had happened—Jesse was not going with them.

"So how are we doing this?" Valenti asked.

"I'll go with the Parkers and Evans families," Doggett declared. "Mr. Valenti, I would appreciate you coming with me."

Jim nodded and handed the keys to his Suburban to Mulder. "Take care of her. I still owe $10,000 on her." He looked at Kyle, who shrugged.

"I guess I'm one of them now too," Kyle said.

Jim smiled sadly and gave his son a hug before he walked toward the convertible. When the final division was sorted out, Diane and Philip Evans, Jeff and Nancy Parker, Amy Deluca, Jesse Ramirez, Agent Doggett and Jim Valenti were in one group, while Michael Guerin, Max Evans and Isabel Evans Ramirez, Maria Deluca, Liz Parker, Kyle Valenti, Agents Mulder and Scully, Rain Robinson and Siana herself were in the other. If nothing else, it was at least a more manageable group.

Mulder and Doggett shook hands. "Where are you going?" Mulder asked.

"Texas," Doggett said. "I want to get these people to the regional office in San Antonio. You?"

Mulder shrugged and pointed a finger at Rain. "Depends on that servo thingy of hers, I guess. Good luck, Agent Doggett. Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome, Agent Mulder."

They began piling into the Suburban as the other group climbed into the cars for a long drive to Texas, wherever that was.

Siana settled in the front row seat of the Suburban beside Isabel, with the FBI agents and Rain in the second row, while the rest climbed in back.

For the first time, she found herself staring directly at Agent Scully.

The red-headed beauty had spoken little since their first meeting, but watched everything with a clinical eye and clear intelligence. But it was not her reserve Siana noticed as she and Mulder quietly discussed their route to the city of Santa Fe. It was her Force signature…

"Agent Scully, may I ask you a question?"

Scully blinked and looked back at her with a faintly defensive look in her eyes. "Yes?"

"Have you had close contact with non-humans like Max or Isabel before?"

Scully and Mulder shared a look. "Why do you ask?"

She looked at Kyle, then back at Liz. "When Max healed me, he shared a part of his life energy with me. I see the same in Liz and Kyle. Liz is already starting to change a little, taking more and more of his energy and abilities. Kyle will take on their power more slowly because the bond between he and Max was less intense. But the energy is there. In your Force signature, Agent Scully, I sense a very similar energy. It did not come from Max, but I believe it came from someone from his world. Were you healed somehow? Were you changed…" Siana stopped, shocked. "There was a child."

Scully paled and then sat facing forward, not speaking. It was Mulder who answered. "She was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. She was abducted, and when she returned, she was cured. And she does have a child, a son William."

Siana nodded as she began to understand. "William is like Max," she said. "He is a hybrid, but one born and not created. Where is he?"

"At home with friends," Scully whispered.

Siana turned to Mulder. "You have the same energy too."

The two agents shared a long look before Mulder shrugged. "Why do you think we're here?" With that, he started the engine and the Suburban pulled out onto Highway 285 heading north to Santa Fe.

* * *

General Hammond paced restlessly on the C-20A transport out of Peterson Air Force Base. 

On his authority alone, he ordered Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, Dr. Jackson, Roberta Lincoln and Kyle Katarn and their two guests to fly out to Kirkland Air Force Base in Albuquerque in an attempt to determine what was going on at Rogers Air Force base. They had originally wanted to go directly to the base, but when Hammond called General Maynard, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs skillfully evaded any direct recommendation, and simply said, "Be very careful of your next steps, George."

Hammond had known General Maynard for years, and knew that the general was not threatening him so much as warning him that something was not right. So he paced on the transport as it took him to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. A car was already waiting to take him to the White House for a special briefing with Maynard and the President.

"General Hammond, were we expecting an escort?" the navigator asked. Hammond turned and stared at the woman.

"An escort?"

"Yes sir, 6 o'clock starboard."

Hammond looked out the window and saw a sleek F-16 flying only a few hundred meters away. "What is he doing?" the general asked. The fighter abruptly banked away from the transport and disappeared into the night.

Suddenly alarms went off. "We have been painted by a targeting system. All hands strap in now!" the pilot warned them urgently.

A moment later: "Missiles are in the air. Deploying counter-measures!"

Hammond knew the measures would fail. He didn't know why, other than a feeling this was the end. A full payload of six AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles struck the fuselage of the transport, destroying it instantly. General George Eugene Hammond felt no pain when he died, and his only regret was that he would miss his granddaughter's dance recital that weekend.

* * *

My apologies to fans of General Hammond. DM 


	15. StarCrossed

**Beth Weasley**--Jack will definitely not be pleased. It wasn't a gratuitous death, either. Story wise it had to happen, but he was a popular character. Thanks for the kind words and the review.

I know I've slowed down posting on my Legacy of the Red Sun trilogy, but Heaven Falls is just so long that if I slowed down to just one post a week, it would take almost two years to post. So I'm going to go back to my bi-weekly posts for Heaven falls. Thanks for reading.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Star-Crossed**

Albuquerque, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 8:55 p.m. MST

O'Neill drove the Air Force Hummer from the vehicle pool of Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque. Teal'c sat next to him, while Roberta Lincoln, Daniel Jackson and Jedi Master Kyle Katarn rode in back. The four were leaving Albuquerque proper, heading toward the Sandia Mountains.

In the spacious back seat, Roberta was playing with her servo, when suddenly it beeped. "What was that?" O'Neill demanded.

"Communications," Roberta said happily. "Apparently whatever field was cutting us off covers the whole state. Now that I'm in it, I have communications, but still no transport." She turned the pen a quarter of a degree. "Rain, can you hear me?"

Suddenly the pen spoke with an excited, happy voice. "Roberta! Thank God! You're not going to believe what's going on!"

"Tell me."

"There are aliens everywhere in this state," Rain said. "Listen, there were two people in that crashed UFO. One is an alien girl named Siana. Pretty girl. Blue hair. She says the other is a big bad alien guy named Dick Nil or something like that."

In the background, they heard a young voice say, "His name is Darth Nihl."

The servo suddenly flew out of Roberta's hand into Kyle Katarn's waiting fingers. She blinked in alarm but said nothing. "Is Siana there?" he said urgently. Let me speak to her!"

"Hold on," Rain said. A moment later, they heard a new voice. "This is Siana."

"Siana, this is Kyle Katarn."

A moment of silence, and then as clearly as if they were there with her, they all heard a sob. "Master Katarn? Is that really you?"

"I'm here, Siana. Is Darth Nihl really here?"

"Yes, master. He killed the police in Roswell. All of them. He's after me, I can feel it, and the government of this place seems to be helping him. And Master, there are other non-Terrans with me, several. They are all very strong in the Force. They have been helping me, but now we are all in danger."

"Do not fear, Siana. I'm coming for you."

"I'm trying not to fear, Master. They killed my parents."

Kyle Katarn bowed his head. "I know, Siana. Be strong, Padawan. I am coming."

From the driver's seat, O'Neill motioned for the pen. Katarn handed it over reluctantly. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill of the United States Air Force. Siana, who exactly are you with?"

A new voice answered. "This is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Special Agent Dana Scully is with me, as are several teenagers from Roswell who assisted in rescuing Siana from her craft. Colonel, for whatever reason, these kids have been targeted by a rogue branch of the FBI and NID. We believe these rogue elements may also have assistance from the Army. And Colonel, there are some non-humans within the FBI ranks as well. They are very dangerous. If you're bringing any cavalry, we'll probably need it."

"We'll see what we can do," O'Neill said.

He tossed the servo back to Roberta, who said: "Rain, are you okay?"

"Oh, just peachy-keen," Robinson said from the other side. "I can't transport, but other than that we're okay. See you at Santa Fe?"

"Better believe it. Let's meet at the Mission."

With their destination decided, O'Neill got off Highway 40, went under a loop and got back on the highway heading west. "We'll hop on I-25 and be there in an hour," he predicted. He looked into the rearview mirror at Kyle Katarn. "We'll get to her."

Katarn shook his head. "That's not my fear," he said. "There is a Sith lord on this planet. If Siana and I could get here, the Sith could get here. One Sith could kill armies. Imagine thousands descending on your planet. You have no defenses at all. They could vaporize whole continents from orbit and there is nothing you could do about it. We must kill Darth Nihl or your planet is lost."

"Okay, so we save your girl, then we kill this Sith lord. How hard can it be?"

Kyle didn't bother to answer.

* * *

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 9:30 p.m. MST

By the time they arrived in Santa Fe, Maria and Michael were leaning against each other sound asleep, while Liz snuggled against Max, also asleep. Max was wide awake, however, as were Siana and Isabel. Kyle had moved to the very back to sleep and was now snoring loudly.

"What do we do now?" Max asked softly.

"We wait," Mulder said.

Mulder pulled off the interstate along the Old Pecos Trail road that took them directly into historic Santa Fe. With the bitter cold of the desert winter night, few people were out, although the streets were not as deserted as one would expect. Mulder followed the signs until he arrived at the Mission.

Like most of the buildings in the area, the Mission was made of wood and adobe, with an open third floor bell tower. It was not a large building, but was one of the oldest in the area, dating back three hundred years.

Mulder parked the Suburban and turned off the engine. "Anyone hungry?" he asked.

Kyle immediately stopped snoring. "I am."

"I could go for some pizza," Michael said groggily.

"Me too," Mulder decided. Slowly they unfurled from the vehicle and stretched. "There's a pizza place right there, and we'll be able to see anyone coming."

"It'll be my treat," Rain Robinson said. "I have an untraceable credit card tapping into the US Federal Reserve."

The two FBI agents stared at her. "How did you get that?" Scully demanded.

"Magic," Rain said with a grin. She led the way as the group converged on the pizza restaurant. The owner, who looked as if he were about to close up, saw them coming with a mixture of happiness at having customers, and sadness at having them come so late. "Welcome!" he said. "You have the place to yourselves tonight."

* * *

Major Carter woke with a groan and a piercing headache.

"Don't move, you have a bad concussion," a familiar voice said.

Carter opened her eyes to see Shannon Janeway sitting by her side with a cool, wet cloth. "How long was I out?"

"It's a quarter till 11, so you've been out almost six hours. You're lucky to be up at all. That was a vicious hit."

Carter sat up very slowly while holding her head. "I can't believe he did that," she whispered. "He's facing a court-martial at best. Probably jail time at the least. Why would he do that?"

"There's something else going on," Janeway said. "Everyone's locked up. They only let me stay with you because you were injured." She smiled. "And I played the pregnant card a little."

Carter fought against an urge to throw up. Daniel was dead. Teal'c and O'Neill were out of touch. And she couldn't get a hold of Hammond. It felt as if she were completely abandoned with no hope for escape.

Except—"The shuttle."

"The what?"

"The alien ship. We could use it to get out of here. We've mapped the wiring enough and repaired enough that we know what switches power what portions of the engine. The hyperdrive is off, but I bet the rest of the ship could function. We were able to do that much after just a few hours."

"Yeah, I meant to ask you about that," Janeway said. "How could you possibly know so much about alien technology?"

Carter smiled. "Wanna know a secret?"

"Sure."

"I've been to over three hundred different planets. I've flown in dozens of alien ships. And I can say I've saved the world from alien invasions more than once."

Janeway stared. "How?"

"The Air Force has an alien device called a Stargate that was originally recovered in Egypt in 1928. We got it working in 1994 and had a full time command organized by 1997. The Stargate creates an artificial wormhole that can connect to other Stargates throughout the galaxy. Because of that, I've had lots of experience working on alien technology."

Janeway nodded. "That is amazing. Have you encountered the Ferengi yet?"

"No, I'm not familiar with that race."

"They were the aliens that crashed in 1947 in New Mexico. They managed to escape, though, so all we have is photographic evidence of their ship."

Carter shook her head. "How can that be? The ship from the '47 crash was actually reconstructed from debris and was just recently moved from Utah to a base in California. They didn't do a really good job of it—the thing can hover a little bit, but that's it."

The two women stared at each other. "I don't know anything about that," she said. "The ship I studied was intact. It was by using records taken from that crash that I helped build the DY-100."

"We'll figure it out somehow. Say, whatever happened to the DY-100? I remember reading about it and was really impressed we were able to do it. We are actually incorporating some of that technology into our X-303 project."

Shannon shrugged. "Well, since we're being so honest, I helped someone steal it."

Carter stared. "What?"

"Her name was Helen Swanson."

"Helen Swanson? She's the one who gave Daniel his phone. She must have been the researcher who disappeared."

"I believe it," Janeway said. "She could come and go in the most amazing ways. She gave me a lot of the information and help I needed to get that ship flying. But she came to Grooms Lake in'96 and told me she needed it to save the world. She'd done so much, Samantha, and seemed to have such incredible resources, that I helped her steal it. And I have no idea what happened after that. I was fired and my security clearance was taken away. When Jackson Roykirk came for me this morning…" She stared. "My God, Sam, it's only been a day. Can you believe that?"

"It's been a long day," Sam agreed. "Okay, so, any ideas on getting us out of here and to the shuttle?"

"I suppose I could go into premature labor," Janeway said.

"You're only four or five months along."

"They're men," Janeway pointed out. "What the hell do they know?"

Carter grinned. "Good point."

Ten minutes later, Private First Class Carlos Mendoza heard a woman's cry of pain from inside the room of Major Samantha Carter. Mindful of his orders not to let anyone out, he at first tried to ignore the cry. But then he heard words every man dreads: "I need help in here, Dr. Janeway is in labor!"

Reluctantly, Mendoza opened the door and peaked in to find a pregnant woman lying on a bed with Major Carter bent over her. "Get over here!" the major ordered.

Mendoza complied, just in time to meet a well-placed kick to his face. He flipped back on the floor and felt another swift kick to the side of his head, followed promptly by darkness.

"Remind me never to get you mad," Janeway said as Carter quickly began stripping the soldier of his uniform.

He was a short man, but even so everything looked bulky on the major. "Better than nothing," Carter decided. "You'd better come along. I'm going to need your help."

The two women emerged into an otherwise empty hall. Carter held Mendoza's barrowed carbine with the practiced ease of a professional soldier and marched down the hall as if on escort duty. When they reached the end of the staff quarters and the soldier on duty, she said: "Colonel Green sent a request to see Dr. Janeway."

The soldier nodded absently and waved her on. The two women continued into the main hangar that housed the shuttle. "Is this too easy?" Janeway asked.

"I got cracked in the head today," Carter said. "I deserve some easy."

With all the research staff away, the hangar was essentially deserted. The only personnel were a pair of soldiers at a desk on the opposite side of the hangar. Carter and Janeway simply kept the plastic sheathing surrounding the shuttle between them and the soldiers. They crawled under the plastic, and in moments were inside the quarantine area.

They climbed into the shuttle itself and proceeded to the cockpit. "Are you sure we can make this thing fly?" Janeway asked.

"I'm sure I can make it fly," Carter assured her. "It's making it fly straight I'm a little fuzzy on." She studied all the controls for a long moment, and then said: "Now or never."

She started touching buttons. Lights flashed on inside, and suddenly the whole ship started humming. Through the windows of the cockpit, they could see silhouettes moving toward them from the other side of the plastic sheeting.

Carter pulled a lever, and suddenly the whole shuttle jumped ten feet into the air.

"Ahhhh!" Janeway screamed, holding her stomach. "Baby Janeway did not like that!"

"Better strap in," Carter said. "Baby Janeway won't like this either."

She touched a button and prayed. Nothing happened. "Okay, so maybe Daniel was wrong about the weapons. Let's try propulsion instead." She hit another button, and two bursts of green light flashed from the front of the shuttle, ripping through the plastic sheathing and exploding against the wall of the hangar. When the smoke cleared, the wall was completely gone.

"Or maybe he just got the buttons mixed up," she corrected herself.

Through the open hole in the side of the ship, they could hear weapons fire. The hull dinged as the bullets bounced off harmlessly. "Time to go," Carter said. She pushed the lever forward, and suddenly the shuttle exploded out of the hangar.

"Baby Janeway definitely does not like thiiiiiiiis!"


	16. Something Wicked This Way Comes

**Beth Weasley**--DS-9 was I thought the 2nd best of the Star Trek Series, except for Season 3 of Enterprise. The Roswell episode was one of the better ones.

**Voration**--Yeah, Hammond was popular but they were looking for a way to reduce his role. I found another way to reduce his role. ;)

My thank thanks to those who read and review. It's what we live for. For anyone else just reading, thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Something Wicked This Way Comes**

DY-100 _Botany Bay, _Proxima Centauri Star System, 4.2 Light Years from Earth

In the absolute silence of space, a light appeared from the darkness. A moment later, the light spread in a pattern of squares across a flat surface. More light blossomed as an advanced artificial intelligence awoke. The AI was designed by Jackson Roykirk, who five days before joining the research team on Siana's shuttle, launched a similarly intelligent deep-space probe called NOMAD.

A calm male voice said: "Unknown object on near-collision course. Begin emergency procedures."

In the spacious cargo section of the sleeper ship, one of the hibernation niches suddenly lit up and began flashing. The flashing increased in both rhythm and intensity until it became a constant, bright light.

The sealed container breached, unleashing a stream of pure oxygen that puffed out into the more Earth-like air of the ship and dissipated. A figure lay perfectly still within the bunk-like niche, clad in finely wrought gold mesh replete with sensors. Above the hibernation chamber, a display began recording the sleeper's heart rate and blood pressure. A hand rose slowly to a face.

And then the sleeper awoke and lifted himself strongly from the hibernation chamber. "Computer," the sleeper said in his native Hindi, "have we arrived? What is the date?"

"Today's date is Saturday, January 19th, 2002, 4:52 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time. Emergency procedures have been activated due to a possible near-collision."

The groggy man strode through the ship to the cockpit and looked out. "Where?"

The computer screen directed him where to look, and look he did. "What madness is this?" he whispered.

Perhaps forty kilometers or so away, he saw not just one, but a fleet of massive structures that looked almost like pyramids wrapped in lattices. The pyramids' golden surfaces shone under the light of Proxima Centuari. He counted nearly thirty of the ships, with one in the middle that appeared to be three times as large as any of the others.

"Computer, identify."

"Unable to identify," the computer told him. "Craft are not of any known Earth design."

"Alter course .344 by .271 for one hundred thousand meters, and then return to original course heading," the man said. "Use maneuvering thrusters only."

"Acknowledged." He felt the thrusters fire and saw the starscape shift almost imperceptibly. He sat in the pilot's seat and stared out at the impossible armada of ships, wishing he had had such ships at his disposal back on Earth.

In the fleet of ships, a baleful creature watched on her sensors as the primitive sleeper ship passed by. "May I destroy it?" she asked.

Behind her, covered in a robe of blackest night, hidden in shadows he carried with him, Lord Anubis spoke in a deep, menacing growl. "It is of no importance, and destroying it could alert our enemies. We must descend on the Tau'ri without warning if we are to destroy them before they can use the weapon of the Ancients."

"As you command, m'lord," Osiris said. She flexed her right hand, recently reattached. It did not function as well as before, but she knew with her regenerative powers and her sarcophagus, that would improve in time.

Lord Anubis turned away from his loyal servant to the small, pale creature on the table. "You will not be able to stop the humans," Thor told him. "And killing me will not assist you."

"I have methods to obtain the information I want," Anubis said. "Just as I have new weapons that made your capture a simple matter."

"Of that I have recently learned," Thor admitted. "You should not have known of the Ancient's weapon on Earth. This is why you leave me no choice. I will die now, but I will return in another body. And we will have a different discussion then."

The alien closed his dark, monochromatic eyes and suddenly his breath began passing out of him. "What is this?" Anubis cried in such rage the Jaffa around him felt to their knees in fear.

But it was too late: Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard had simply willed himself to die.

A hundred thousand meters away, the DY-100 sleeper ship resumed its previous course. In its cockpit, sitting by himself where none of his followers could see, Khan Noonian Singh, one time ruler of a quarter of the world, who found defeat at the hands of Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln after his empire collapsed, sighed in relief. Staring at those terrifying ships, Khan doubted fighting against them was a battle even he, with his genetically superior abilities, could possibly hope to win.

Once assured the aliens were not coming after him, Khan reset the system, climbed back into his hibernation niche, and returned to his sleep of the centuries.

* * *

Antar 5, City of the Eternal Sun

Tess Harding had been born twice. Her first life was one of nobility, and through marriage, of royalty. The second was that of an average American teenager with anything but average powers fleeing from xenophobic American agents who feared her and her protector.

When Tess met Max Evans for the first time, she saw in him everything fate was supposed to give her. He carried in him the same strength and power he had held as king of Antar and her husband, but his human form gave him something else. It gave him a human morality not shared by those of his native planet. Through Nasedo, and from her time on Antar 5, Tess had learned the Antarans were a coldly practically people prone to outbursts of intense passion and war. Morality was rarely an issue.

She recognized the same passion within herself.

When she returned to Antar with both the Granalith and the son of Max, who on Antar was remembered as Zan, she expected to be received by the newly established government of Kivar as a hero.

Instead, Kivar found the baby was completely human—a merger of human DNA and not alien—and rejected young Zan as unfit to sit on the throne.

Now Tess Harding, in her human form, sat in a white cell filled with Earth atmosphere, suckling her son while waiting for her fate to be decided.

A door opened, and Kivar himself entered.

She recognized his life energy, but her human eyes still found his shape odd. He stood perhaps five feet tall, with pale white skin and large, monochromatic eyes. His head was much larger than a human's, while his limbs were somewhat thinner. He wore black silken fabric over his body and stood before her with his arms crossed. He spoke the ancient language of the Antar, which had no specific name other than _The Language_.

"Our plans have changed," he announced. "We were going to install your son as the new king with me as his regent, but obviously we cannot do that now. You and the boy are useless. But you brought me the Granalith, which is why you still live."

"Please," Tess begged, her human throat struggling to make the alien words, "let me return to earth with Zan. Max and…I mean, King Zan has accepted life there. He chose to stay with his human mate. He is no danger to you."

Kivar paced around her slowly, and she could feel the terrible pressure of his mind against hers. His power was the greatest of all the Antarians, save the king himself.

"We had plans for Earth," Kivar said. "Plans we have been working on for many centuries. That was why the Queen Mother sent her children's DNA there to be cloned, since she knew it would one day be the new Antar."

Tess stared, shocked. _New Antar_? "But what about the humans?"

"You and those sent with you were part of the experiment," Kivar said. "Could our DNA structures be mixed? Obviously they could. We experimented in other ways as well—we even went so far as to contact their governments directly. We were planning on invading and taking the world in 2012 of their calendar. Symbiotic agents were going to be introduced to convert most of their population to lesser Antarian agents, who would transform the atmosphere into an Antar-like world for our arrival. But something has happened. Our plans have been disrupted."

Tess was afraid to ask. Although her memories of Earth were not perfect, it was where she had lived one of her two lives, and she found the thought of its destruction disturbing. "What happened?"

"Other species have landed there," Kivar said, his high, reedy voice and mental projection resounding with his anger. "We have learned the Asgard have made contact with the humans, and other hostile forces may move on our planet soon, because of extra-galactic aliens that crash landed there."

Tess began to see where this was going. Desperate for any chance to get home, she said, "What do you want me to do?"

Kivar turned, and both his telepathic projection and his face grinned at her evilly. "You will go to Earth as the vanguard for our fleet," he said. "You will take communication gear with you, and you will report everything you learn. We will be nearby, waiting. And when the time is right, what we could not take by guile, we will take by force."

Tess looked down at baby Zan and the very human breast he suckled. Kivar was of her people, but her son as of Earth.

But he would not live to see another day if she did not return him to Earth, regardless of what else she had to do. "I will go," she whispered. "I will do as you ask."

Kivar leaned close to her and unleashed the full brunt of his telepathic power until Tess screamed. He stopped, and the psychic silence was deafening. "See that you do," he whispered to her.

* * *

Ossus, Auril Sector, 130 ABY, 4 Days following the Fall of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (GFFA)

Three _Pellaeon_-class star destroyers emerged from hyperspace in orbit around the planet Ossus. Even from space, the smoking ruins of the Jedi Praxeum were visible as a pencil-line streak of gray smoke.

The _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer was the pinnacle of capital ship design in the galaxy. It was the culmination of almost two centuries of experience and warfare that resulted in a superior ship of both immense size and power. Each ship was approximately 8,000 meters long, between the length of the old _Executor_-class super star destroyers and the _Eclipse_-class super-laser mounted ships.

The sloped front dorsal hull of each ship was mounted with massive super-turbo laser batteries that approached in firepower what even the old _Eclipse_-class super lasers were able to produce. One volley of concentrated fire from the main guns could vaporize an entire continent. The entire surface of a planet could be slagged into glass in a matter of minutes, and the planet itself cracked and destroyed utterly in the course of an hour.

Three such ships were nearly invincible.

On the bridge of one ship, Darth Krayt, absolute ruler of the Sith and soon to be ruler of the empire, sat staring down at Ossus. His lieutenant, a Chagrian named Darth Wyyrlock, stood by his side as always.

"Have the technicians found any further information?" Wyyrlock demanded.

Wyyrlock's Imperial servants rushed to respond. "Yes, master. They were able to recover all the security information despite the Jedi's attempt at sabotage. The readings confirm that Jedi Master Kyle Katarn was on Ossus, and left in pursuit of one of the three shuttles that escaped."

On his chair, Darth Krayt spoke with a deep, ancient, cracking voice that seemed to belie his terrifying, rugged exterior. "Nihl was on the shuttle Katarn was chasing," Krayt said.

Wyyrlock read the reports. "Master, it says the shuttle entered hyperspace at the speed of light. It caused an inversion of Cronau radiation that resulted in a supra-hyperspacial velocity. It is possible that craft is not even in our galaxy."

Krayt simply nodded. "That is similar to the Asgard hyperdrives. They never shared that technology with us. Perhaps they feared what we would do with it if we could cross galaxies with the same ease they do." He turned his yellowed eyes on his advisor. "Can we duplicate the effect?"

"It will severely damage if not destroy our engines, but yes, I believe we can."

"Then do so," Krayt said. "I wish to recover my most trusted Hand, and ensure those Jedi he followed have perished. I am also most interested in how Master Katarn has survived all these years."

"And of your empire, Master?"

"If I am to reign a thousand years, I must first find the method to live that long. We go after Katarn."

"As you command, Master," the Chagrian Sith said with a bow.


	17. A Clash of Titans

**ancient lantean**--It will be quite a ride, but most of it will take place in Part II, which is coming up in the next few chapters.

**jfr07**--A battle is definitely coming, and it will be unlike anything ever seen on SG-1 or Atlantis. But first we have to resolve some issues here on Earth.

Thanks for reading and reviewing. I know that this story has been slow to get started for some readers, but as with all of my fiction, there is always a payoff it you can make it. From this point forward, things start moving. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 17: A Clash of Titans**

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Friday, January 18, 2002, 10: 48 p.m. MST

Ten people sat around the remains of eight pizzas in a dimly lit, otherwise empty restaurant. In return for a very large tip, courtesy of Rain Robinson's mysterious funding from the Federal Reserve, the owner kept the restaurant open will past his normal closing time, allowing the group to rest for the first time all day.

Kyle Valenti was snoring over the remains of a vegetarian pizza he ate almost by himself.

The rest spoke quietly, coming to an understanding.

Siana watched them all with a sense of detachment. She felt as if she were not really there, that it was all some fevered, Force-driven dream. But within that dream, she enjoyed watching the bond form between the FBI agents and Max and his friends.

Agent Mulder especially seemed excited to be talking to people who were at least in part from another planet. And for their part, Max and Isabel seemed to be equally accepting of him. Guerin, her personal savior, appeared too tired to care. He sat in the oversized booth with the rest, his eyes half shut, with his girlfriend Maria sleeping soundly in the crook of his arm.

These people all cared for each other so much, it made Siana want to cry. She thought of Cade Skywalker, and Shado Vao, and all the other padawans she left behind on Ossus. They were more than her friends, they were her family. And as for family—just thinking of her parents was enough to make her heart break.

Her only hope was Master Katarn.

Like her mother, and her grandmother, Siana knew of the legend that was Master Katarn. During the height of the Ori war, he had been driven to the edge of darkness, and in a fit of despair cut off the arm of Nani Delun. In penance for this act, he swore to protect her and her child for the rest of his life.

In time, the legend goes, he even fell in love with Nani, and her daughter Kaylin grew to be a master Jedi herself. But before then, when the Vong invaded and destroyed Sulon, Kyle lost Nani. In his anguish over her loss, he destroyed hundreds of Vong warriors, but it could not bring Nani back.

So he vowed to guard not just Kaylee, but the whole Delun family for as long as he lived. And to ensure that was a long time, he bonded with a Sekotan seedship with powerful sublight engines, and flew through the galaxy at just the the edge of llightspeed, slowing time for himself while the rest of the galaxy moved on.

Every few years he came out of his exile to check on the Delun family, and in that way met every child born, which oddly enough was a single girl to each generation. The last of that generation was Siana. She had met him, she was told, three times. The first was when he blessed her right after her birth. The second was when she was a child, and her grandmother died in a mission for the Federation. The final time was when she was selected by Master Kol Skywalker to be his padawan.

The thought of him coming held all of the fear at bay. He was her protector, her shield against the darkness. With him, she knew she could face anything.

She felt a hand on hers and saw Isabel studying her. "Are you okay?'

"Master Katarn is coming," Siana said. "I'll be okay very soon. But what about you? Are you well?"

Isabel smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "I miss Jesse."

"He did not want to come with you."

"He was scared," Isabel said with a shrug. "He didn't ask for any of this, and I can't blame him."

Siana gripped her friend's hand. "Yes, you can. Love looks beyond such things, and I'm sure, given time, he would change his mind."

"Is that something that should take time?"

Siana shrugged. "I don't know. I am a Jedi padawan. I've never even been on a date, much less married. You know so much more than I do. But I do know you are a beautiful person, and Force willing, you will find the mate you deserve."

A small golden bell rang as the front door opened. Ten people turned to stare as a large, muscular black man strode in wearing a large tan overcoat and, of all things, a brown felt fedora hat.

More people arrived behind him. Sitting at the edge of the booth, Rain yelled, "Roberta!" and jumped to her feet to wrap the older woman in a hug.

Siana felt him even before she saw him, and stood in her seat as Kyle Katarn stepped into the restaurant. He did not need to search for her—he had her locked in his gaze the moment he stepped in. She flew to him, ignoring the startled gasps as she flew past at faster-than-human speed, until she was in his arms, unabashedly crying.

In Galactic Basic, he whispered to her using a baby name he gave her when her grandmother died: "It's all right, Blue, I'm here. It's going to be okay."

Mulder was also standing as the leader of the new group walked up in a black uniform and held out a hand. "Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"Special Agent Fox Mulder. This is Special Agent Dana Scully."

"Nice to meet you. This is Teal'c." Teal'c nodded with a calm smile. "Do you know where Major Carter is?"

Mulder and Scully shook their heads. "We're not familiar with the name."

"She was the head researcher at Rogers," Daniel Jackson said from behind Teal'c.

"They kept the researches and LEOs separated," Fox said. "I think we were on the base only a few minutes before they shipped us off to Roswell."

The five newcomers pulled up chairs to the oversized booth and started comparing notes on what was happening. The most startling revelation was the existence of Max, Isabel and Michael.

"Antar, huh?" O'Neill said. "Teal'c?"

Siana found herself staring at Teal'c, and the odd, serpentine life form he carried within himself that she could feel so easily through the Force. "I have heard of many advanced races outside the gate system, but we do not know their names," he admitted. "But of the Antar, we knew a little. They are related to the Asgard. The Gao'uld did not interact with them since they were a dangerous and advanced enemy."

"Well, there you go," O'Neill said. "So, what about these supersoldiers of yours, Fox?"

Mulder grimaced. "Please, call me Mulder. The supersoldiers are alien-human hybrids, a lot like Max here. They are almost un-killable, except for magnetite. And these four, it turns out."

O'Neill turned to Liz Parker. "I thought you were human."

"I am. I only play an alien on TV."

"Cute," O'Neill said without laughing. "Well, here's what we're going to do: we're going to get you all back to Stargate Command so we can figure out what's going on. After that, I'll let General Hammond decide."

The whole party stood and collected their coats and belongings. The owner emerged from the back, obviously relieved to see they were leaving. As the others stood talking, Kyle Valenti stretched, smiled at the group and headed for the door. As soon as the door opened, his head exploded. A split second later, they heard the report of a high-caliber rifle.

Liz Parker gasped and dove onto him even as Max brought up his shield and Michael and Mulder tried to pull the body back. "They killed Kyle!" Liz cried.

"You bastards!" Michael shouted through the shattered glass of the front door.

"They've got the building surrounded," Katarn said, his eyes closed. "Hundreds. There are rotor craft of some kind as well.

All ducking low, Max put his hand over Kyle Valenti's head, but there was nothing left to heal. "Oh God," Liz sobbed. "Oh God! What are we going to tell Jim?"

"Attention," a voice shouted through a loudspeaker outside. "You are surrounded. Come out now with your hands up, and no one else will be hurt."

"They're lying," Siana said.

"I bet they are," Scully said.

"No, they are lying. They have orders to shoot us all." She looked at O'Neill. "They followed you."

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Crap. Figures." He removed his cell phone, but could not get a signal. "Ahh, nuts! Hey, you, you have a landline phone?"

The owner peeked out from behind the counter long enough to nod, and then put a phone in sight before ducking once more. O'Neill duck-walked over to the phone and tried it. "Line was cut," he said. He pulled out a pistol from his belt. Teal'c did the same, while Rain Robinson and Roberta Lincoln brandished their servos.

Kyle watched all this in silence, until he knew through the Force it was time to act.

"Siana, your lightsaber."

The lightsaber was more than just the weapon of the Jedi. It was a symbol, and one never given lightly to another. She gave hers to Kyle without hesitation. He turned to everyone. "Stay down. Stay here. Do not try to help me."

"What are you going to do?" Mulder demanded.

"I'm going to remove the threat."

"Don't be an ass," O'Neill said, rising long enough to grab Katarn's arm. "We'll figure out a way out. We always do."

Kyle Katarn stared at O'Neill. Someone outside took the opportunity to fire at the available target. Without looking away from the colonel, Kyle activated his lightsaber and with a single quick swipe vaporized the bullet before it could hit its target, then just as quickly deactivating his blade.

"Stay down. Stay here," the Jedi master said.

O'Neill let go. "Okay, fine. But if you get yourself killed, I'm going to be pissed."

Suddenly Kyle grinned. "Not nearly as much as I will be."

Kyle Katarn, Master Jedi, former Imperial Storm Trooper and Rebel Spy, stepped through the door of the Santa Fe pizza restaurant with a lightsaber in each hand. Siana fought off a sudden surge of memory of Kol Skywalker holding off the Sith, also with two sabers in hand.

Suddenly gunfire rang out. Kyle lit both his majestic, dark purple blade, and the more violet-purple blade of Siana's saber, and flashed both weapons so quickly they formed a literal wall of light. Sparks shone against that wall as he intercepted and vaporized bullet after bullet.

Overhead, two Apache helicopters hovered within striking range. Seeing that ground munitions had no effect, each helicopter fired an AGM-114 Hellfire missile. Kyle watched the projectiles approach and suddenly raised both his hands. The missiles inexplicably reversed course directly back at the two choppers. One was able to dodge the weapon, but the second missile struck a gunship directly in the pilot's seat. The aircraft fell in a fireball to the ground.

The remaining Apache rotated its 30 mm cannon to bear. On the ground, one of the dozens of army Hummers that formed a perimeter around the restaurant, behind which hundreds of soldiers stood, suddenly shot up into the path of the bullets. The cannon ripped the Hummer almost in half. Suddenly, each half shot toward the Apache, impacting the rotors. The helicopter went down, crashing violently into another Hummer.

The remaining soldiers waited in silence as a single man in an overcoat stepped out into the sudden no-man's land between the Jedi master and the soldiers. He walked to within a few dozen feet of Kyle.

"My name is Ronald Tennenbaum. I am an agent of my government, and I have been tasked to remove the threat you and those like you pose to this world. You, and the other one like you, Darth Nihl, cannot be allowed to stay here." he said.

"I am nothing like Nihl," Katarn said. "I am a Jedi, and the people in that building are under my protection. Let us go, or I will have no choice but to kill you all."

Tennenbaum looked back over his shoulder at the two fireballs that used to be among the most advanced of the Army's weapons. "I can see you have great power," he said. "Nihl single-handedly wiped out the law enforcement of an entire city, so I bet you could kill us all. But can you kill us all, and Darth Nihl?"

Suddenly Kyle felt a stab of darkness in the Force, and both sensed and saw a lean Nagai Sith step from one of the Hummers. The soldiers near that particular vehicle backed away in fear as the Sith passed by them, until he stood by Tennenbaum.

"So you are Katarn," the Sith said in English. "You look good for a hundred and fifty years old."

"I wish I could say the same, but you're ugly for any age."

Nihl sneered in the semblance of a smile. "I cut down the heir of Skywalker single-handedly; I killed a dozen Jedi masters when I raped Ossus. What makes you think you can defeat me?"

"Because playing with kids isn't the same as playing with a man," Kyle said. "I've fought gods, Sith dog. I have no problem fighting you."

"We shall see. And as I am cutting your heart out, these primitives will be mowing down your precious little apprentice."

"Blah blah," Kyle said. "Can't you Sith ever just shut up and just fight?"

Nihl struck so fast, it was as if those watching were watching a movie that skipped a frame. The image went from two enemies talking, to the Nagai leaning back and unleashing a maelstrom of Force lightening.

Kyle caught it, channeled it through his own core of darkness, and sent it right back to its source. The blow caught both Nihl and Tennenbaum by surprise.

The Sith deflected it with his saber and stepped back in surprise. Tennenbaum's body smoked as he was thrown like a rag doll twenty feet back against one of the Hummers. He was dead well before he touched the ground.

"Now, what were you saying?" Kyle asked.


	18. Breaking Santa Fe

**Beth Weasley**--Anyone who could defeat six dark Jedi with next to no training is not someone you want to mess around with.

**Voration**--It was a lame attempt to get you to come back for more!

The action continues. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 18: Breaking Santa Fe**

New Mexican Desert, Friday, January 18, 2002, 11: 23 p.m. MST

Cold wind howled through the alien shuttle as Major Carter fought to keep the trick**y **craft under control. Between a new moon and clouds in the sky, the night was almost pitch black, and Carter and Janeway were both too afraid of destroying a mountain or something to bother looking for a light switch.

Carter wasn't even sure what direction they were heading in.

"This is fun," Janeway said sarcastically as she shivered. "Any ideas?"

Carter eased up on the acceleration until the shuttle came to a near halt hovering a few dozen meters above the ground. "I have an idea," she said.

Janeway eyed her warily. "Does it involve suddenly acceleration?"

Carter grinned, pulled a lever, and suddenly the shuttle shot straight up with the same acceleration as its forward movement. "Sam, I don't like you any more!" Janeway screamed, clutching her stomach. Finally, Carter brought the ship to a halt.

"Okay, we look for lights."

"What?"

"Line of sight is all we have. So, we look for lights."

"Only one problem," Janeway pointed out. "All of the major cites to the north are behind a mountain range, and all the cities to the south have federal agents crawling all over them that'll arrest us on sight."

"Maybe." Sam pointed. "See that?"

Janeway stared a moment, before nodding. The clouds in the far distance had a reddish glow to them. As they continued to stare and their eyes adjusted, they caught the outline of a mountain range under the cloud glow.

"That's it," Carter announced as she swung the shuttle around and started flying toward the cloud glow. "See, trust me. I do stuff like this all the time."

* * *

Human and alien alike watched in shock and awe as two titans of the Force clashed. The two figures moved at times faster than the eyes could follow, seeming to disappear and reappear around the whole city. Other times they stood viciously exchanging blows. Lightning flashed between them, while anything not tied down, such as trash cans, cars, and one time a recreational vehicle with an elderly couple still screaming inside, suddenly became projectile weapons.

Inside the pizza restaurant, Mulder and Scully watched the fight with Siana by their side. "My God," Scully whispered. "How can they do that?"

"Master Katarn was among the first of the new Jedi," Siana said. "After the old Empire wiped out the order, he was among the first recruited by Master Skywalker to form a new order. He was a master Jedi one hundred years before my own master was even born. It is said that Jedi physically grow weaker with time, but their mastery of the Force makes up for that weakness. Although Kyle looks fifty, he has been alive for over a century and a half. He has gained absolute mastery of the Force."

Mulder winced as Darth Nihl used a Hummer with soldiers still inside to try and swat at Katarn. Katarn raised a hand and seemed to wrest the vehicle from the mental grip of the dark lord. He gave it a shake to get the men out, and then used it in the same way against Nihl, forcing the Sith to leap away.

Max finally joined them. "What should we do?"

"We can't get to the car through that," Mulder said. "And as far as we know, those men out there still have orders to shoot us on sight."

As if to prove them right, the soldiers nearest the pizza place saw the watching figures and opened fire. Max brought up his shield and stopped the bullets.

"That's pretty handy," Scully said.

"Thanks."

The soldiers who fired screamed under a blast of lightning that came not from Nihl, but Katarn.

"It's a shame we don't have that sniper rifle Siana found," Max muttered.

Siana turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "It is in the car."

"Exactly."

"Stay here!"

Max took her arm. "Siana, that's what your Master Katarn said to you."

"I must get the weapon," she said, prying off his fingers. "Trust me."

She ran to the opposite side of the restaurant and then started looking for a back entrance. Eventually, she found one and snuck out into the cold evening. The air felt like a slap in the face against the warmth of the restaurant. She took a deep breath. "Emotion, yet peace," she whispered to herself. Gathering the Force to her, she sprinted into the street as fast as her legs and the Force would carry her.

In the front of the restaurant, a block away from the Mission, Darth Nihl realized with bitterness and hatred that he was going to lose. It was only a matter of sheer luck that he was not already dead. Jedi or not, Kyle Katarn was stronger, faster and had more mastery of the Force than Nihl did.

The realization tasted bitter to the Nagai Sith's senses.

He began firing his blaster between saber attacks hoping to distract the Jedi and mix up the attack. His efforts were in vain, if not worse. Kyle was able to not only block his shots, but to deflect them with such precision that he was using Nihl's shots to kill those Terrans who were supposed to be helping him.

Suddenly Kyle caught the Nagai in a powerful Force grip. In a human, the power of the grip would have crushed the air out of their lungs. In a Nagai, it was painful but not so dramatic. He allowed the air to expel voluntarily and simply stilled the organ, using stored oxygen reserves in his cells. A Nagai could survive for hours on stored oxygen.

Kyle motioned with his hand, and Nihl braced himself against otherwise bone-cracking energy as he was thrown against a Terran vehicle. He picked himself up slowly, realizing he did not have sufficient strength to ward off another attack.

That was when he felt the Force flicker from another direction. The padawan!

He grinned at Katarn, and dipped into what reserves of strength his hate could grant and flew from the ring of combat into the cold air of the night. The padawan was flying down the street toward a black vehicle parked in front of an old, primitive looking structure with a bell on it. He faded his presence from the Force and followed her as he knew Kyle surely followed him. It did not matter, though. It would be enough to die knowing he killed the padawan, and broke the Jedi's spirit.

As she got close to the vehicle, Nihl raised his gauntlet and unleashed a flurry of blaster bolts. Granted a warning of danger from the Force, the padawan leaped away from the Suburban as it exploded, and then started leaping and running away as Nihl continually fired. Stray shots struck and destroyed the front wall of the Mission, weakening its infrastructure so much the oldest church in North America, built originally in 1625, came crashing to the ground.

Siana barely managed to leap free of the wreckage and ran north toward a larger, slightly more modern but now unused chapel. Nihl watched as she broke through a side door and followed after, even while Katarn chased him.

Nihl burst into the narrow, gothic structure in time to see Siana climbing up an intricately designed spiral staircase toward a loft. With a single shot of his gauntlets the miraculous staircase of the Loretta Chapel disappeared into a cloud of splinters. Remaining at the front of the chapel, near an abandoned altar, he began firing not at the loft, but at the walls below it.

The blasts ripped through the masonry and wood of the walls, tearing out huge, structure-compromising holes. With each consecutive blast, the rest of the walls groaned louder under the structural stress. With a final shot, the whole back of the chapel began to fall.

With no choice left to her, the padawan attempted to leap clear.

Nihl laughed aloud as his opportunity arrived.

* * *

Kyle also felt when Siana ignored his orders and left the restaurant. He only hoped that the Sith was too tired or weakened to sense her. However, when the Nagai smiled at him, Kyle knew Siana's very life was at stake.

The Sith disappeared into a Force-borne leap that took him well-clear of the fight. Katarn started to follow when those soldiers who survived opened fire. Grunting in frustration, Kyle sheathed both sabers and unleashed his frustration in the form of Force lightning that lashed out, over and through the bodies of all the men. He started to launch after the Nagai when half the soldiers, who should have all been dead, got back up and started shooting again.

Forced to confront the issue more directly, Kyle sensed and realized these were some of the alien hybrids the others had spoken of. Their bodies regenerated so quickly that nothing short of dicing them into pieces would kill them.

He felt more than saw Nihl chasing after his ward, and realized he did not have time to slice and dice human/alien hybrids.

Suddenly one of the hybrids screamed as his body was thrown back by an unseen weapon. He did not move when he landed, and Kyle sensed his lifeforce fade. Behind him, Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans, Liz Parker and Max Evans emerged from the restaurant with their hands raised. On either side, the rest of the party also came—the one called O'Neill fired his weapon next to Mulder and the older woman called Lincoln, while Teal'c, Scully and Rain Robinson fired their respective weapons on the other side of the kids.

"We can handle the hybrids!" Max said as Michael raised his hand toward another of the super soldiers, who again flew back as if struck by a massive weight and lay still.

Without any further prodding necessary, Kyle flew after his padawan and the Sith lord. He watched from a distance as the San Miguel Mission Church collapsed under Nihl's blaster fire, and saw Siana duck into yet another building. He saw the Nagai run in after her and pushed his legs to go even faster.

He was on the sidewalk leading toward the chapel when the concussion from a blaster bolt explosion knocked him temporarily from his feet. He regained his footing and watched as the walls of the old chapel were systematically blown out. In the Force, he could see the life essence of his padawan in a corner of a loft, fighting to control her fear. Below, Nihl continued firing even as he waited patiently in ambush.

Finally the structure started to collapse and Siana had no choice but to flee.

"No!" Kyle shouted as he Force-blasted a portion of the wall by Nihl completely out. He burst through just in time to see Darth Nihl, Dark Lord of the Sith, reach out with the Force and capture Siana in mid-air. Kyle raised both sabers as Darth Nihl, Dark Lord of the Sith, Force-pulled Siana straight down out of her ballistic trajectory, directly onto the waiting tip of his red light saber.

Siana screamed as the blade burned through her stomach in a mortal blow, then Nihl turned and stared at Kyle in triumph even as two purple beams scissored his head off.

The red beam deactivated and Siana fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in agony.

Kyle collapsed by her side and lifted her head to his lap. In the dim lighting of the mostly destroyed chapel, he could see tears streaming down her face from the agony of the wound.

"I'm so sorry, Master," she cried. "I'm so sorry. Everything is lost. Everything is gone!"

He pulled her to him, his head bent low. "I failed," he whispered, not bothering to fight his own tears. "I failed you, my little girl Blue. I failed."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see the one called Max standing beside him. Max stepped around and knelt down on the opposite side of Siana, who by then had stopped crying. "I can help her," Max said.

A moment later, Liz Parker and the rest arrived. Kyle looked around at them, then down to his little girl blue. "She's the last of her family," Kyle whispered. "I swore I would protect them, but I couldn't."

Max took Kyle's hand. "I can save her. It's not too late."

He bent over and put a hand on Siana's stomach. "I need your help, though," he said. "She's blocking me again. I need you to let her help me."

Kyle nodded, sensing the power in the strange young man. He bent over until his forehead rested against hers. "Blue," he whispered in Basic, "this is Katarn. Listen to me, love. Let your shields fall. Open yourself to the Force. Be at peace, Siana Delun, and let healing come. Be at peace."

As the others watched, the invisible barrier holding Max back dropped and white light poured from his hand in a burst of healing power. Siana's eyes fluttered a moment and then opened. "Master," she whispered.

"I'm here," Kyle said. "I will never leave you again."

Siana smiled, and then allowed him to lift her onto his lap. To Max, he said, "Thank you, my friend."

Max, tired from the effort of not only generating a shield and killing bad aliens, but also of healing, nodded and let himself lean back against Liz. When they touched, though, a spark of green light ripped across her arm.

"Owe!" Liz said, jerking away so quick Max fell down. He pulled up, looking at her in shock as oddly colored energy rippled up her arm.

Kyle looked from one teen to the other and said: "You two are going to have to do something about that energy imbalance of hers."


	19. Leaving Santa Fe

**Voration**--Aw, cliffhangers are fun! I put as many as I can. And since I'll probably be posting twice a week, no one ever has to wait long to see what happens next!

**jfr07**--Thank you for the kind words. Part I is wrapping up soon, and then in Part II we deal with the real consequences of Siana's crash to Earth, including the three fleets converging on Earth. There will be a lot more action in Part II. As for Nirrti--That's a really good question. In all the series I bring in, I used the mass air dates as the actual event dates (I choose 2002 to start because that was the final season for both Roswell and X-Files, and Stargate was still early in its run). By that estimation, since the show with Nirrti's death didn't air in Syndication until 3/2004 and this story is set in 2002, then she probably is alive. As great an idea as that is, it never dawned on me. The story goes another direction and Nirrti is never a major character. Still, it was a good idea.

Thanks for the reviews. Part I is wrapping up. But stay tune for the action to really get started in Part II.

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**Chapter 19: Leaving Santa Fe**

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Saturday, January 19, 2002, 12:15 a.m. MST

By the time Major Samantha Carter and Dr. Shannon Janeway managed to maneuver the shuttle over the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains and over the city of Santa Fe, it was not hard to see that something was going on.

The center of the historic city was twinkling with an army of police car and ambulance lights.

Carter had never been to Santa Fe, but knew just from reading that there were several important, historical building**s** there. However, as the shuttle hovered just below the clouds over the city, she suspected many of those sites were damaged.

"I wish we knew what was going on down there," Carter said.

In the city below, Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully were having a heck of a time trying to explain two hundred dead soldiers, fifty of which had mysteriously melted into black goo, to the police to the police.

In the remnants of the Loretta Chapel, Teal'c bent down and examined the headless body of Darth Nihl. While the others talked, he reached down and lifted the black cane that had generated the beam. Upon quick examination, he discovered the cane reminded him a great deal of a Jaffa staff weapon.

He stepped to the others holding the weapon until the bearded man named Katarn noticed him. Teal'c bowed his head. "Master Katarn, I have often dreamt of owning a weapon such as this. May I have it?"

"A lightsaber is a dangerous weapon for a non-Force user," Kyle warned. "Most people end up cutting off their own hands or feet."

"The shape of this particular weapon is much like one I am quite proficient with," Teal'c said.

"All right then, keep it with our thanks."

Teal'c beamed.

Kyle rose to his feet and helped Siana do the same. The only sign of her injury was the burn hole in her dress which showed her navel. The rest of the group gathered around them while the FBI agents held off the police and press.

"Well, what now?" Max asked. "I'd say our cover is pretty much blown. That leaves Roswell out of the question."

"We need to head back to Stargate Command," O'Neill said. "It's a top secret installation with easy access off-world, in case we need to make anyone disappear. Yo, where are the mystery twins?"

"You mean us?" Roberta Lincoln said archly.

O'Neill looked her up and down and suddenly smiled. "Yep. Your walkie-talkie pens working yet?"

"Not yet. There's still some kind of field over the state."

O'Neill grimaced.

"Master Katarn, Colonel O'Neill," Siana said, "I don't know if this is important or not, but I think my shuttle is hovering over the city."

Kyle looked down at her in surprise, then smiled. "I sense it too, and the pilots within. The pilot is someone called Carter."

"Sam!" Daniel Jackson said.

"Carter!" O'Neill said at the same time. The two men shared a glare, then all of them ran out through one of the many holes in the chapel and looked up. There, against the under glow of the clouds, they could see the shuttle.

"So how do we get up there?" Daniel asked.

"I could always levitate, I suppose," Kyle muttered. "I've never been good at levitating myself, though."

Everyone stared. Then Siana said brightly, "Levitate me, master. It's my shuttle."

"Good thinking." And as quickly as that, Siana shot up into the air like a comic book superhero. She continued flying up toward the shuttle until she came even with it. From there, she used the Force to propel herself into the hole and stepped in.

The two women at the front of the shuttle heard her step in, turned, and screamed. Then the one in uniform raised a rifle.

"Please do not shoot!" Siana said, conscious that Master Katarn had yet to return her saber. "My name is Siana Delun. I was in the city with one called Colonel O'Neill."

"This is your shuttle, isn't it?" Carter said.

"Yes. If you would like, I will be glad to land it."

Carter gladly gave up the pilot's seat and let Siana settle in. She gently brought the shuttle down directly into the chapel, sheltered from the many prying eyes by the teetering front of the old church. Sam was the first out of the hole Michael Guerin had burned just one night ago.

"Daniel!" Carter said when she saw him. "I thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, well, not for Colonel Green's lack of desire," Daniel said. He saw a bruise and matted blood on her temple. "Did he do that to you?"

"Yeah, but I got him back by stealing his shuttle."

"Nice."

"Major Carter," Teal'c said. "It is good to see you well."

"Thank you. Everyone, this is Shannon Janeway, one of our research engineers on the project. So, what do we want to do?"

"Leave," O'Neill said. "Is that thing safe to fly?"

Siana emerged as he spoke and nodded. "It has no hyperdrive and its sublight engines are down to only thirty percent capacity, but that should be enough to get us anywhere on this planet."

"Okay then, let's go with her," O'Neill said. "Everyone on board the rocket ship." He looked around. "Yo, kid, go get the spooks, okay?"

"That kid used to be the king of an entire planet," a lithe, brunette girl said.

"Okay, King Kid, go get the spooks, will ya?"

Max laughed despite Liz's scowl and stuck his head out long enough to summon the FBI agents. Scully and Mulder made final statements to the police before heading back into the ruined chapel. They caught a glimpse of the shuttle.

"That thing looks like a prop out of Starship Troopers," Mulder said in open disappointment.

"But it flies," O'Neill said. "Let's get in and get the hell out of here!"

As an army of city and state police and five news camera crews watched, the Jedi shuttle rose from the remnants of the Loretta Chapel into the sky with a roar but no obvious signs of propulsion, and suddenly zoomed away into the night.

* * *

Tess Harding clutched her baby to her chest as she stepped out of the sandstone cave which for the first forty years of her existence in hibernation on Earth had been her home. Behind her, the Antaran scout craft that brought her settled into the same cradle that once housed the Granalith.

She stepped out into a cold, pitch black winter's night. Zan immediately began to cry. She warmed him with a gentle brush of her power, and started walking. She was tired already—the mental strain of piloting a ship at ten thousand times the speed of light across the galaxy was a draining experience. For the Antar, their psychic energy was the primary means of navigation, which meant she had to remain mentally integrated with her ship and fully aware for the entire journey.

She realized that in normal time, she actually crossed nearly five thousand light years in the course of a few hours, but those few hours felt like days.

She had little choice but to walk through the desert toward the nearest road. One of the many things that had kept the cave safe was its distance from civilization—and with town after town drying up and dying through New Mexico—civilization seemed in many cases to be in open retreat.

Finally, after several hours of walking, though, she reached the road. She was surprised by the number of police cars. She tried to act nonchalant as she started walking away from the road, but one of the many state police cars pulled off the side of the road. "Can I help you, ma'am?" a voice said.

Tess put on her best smile, which she knew was dazzling, and turned back to him. "Yeah, I suppose I could use a lift," she said.

The state police officer was a young man with a short haircut and a face so clean shaven that the lights of his car made his chin shine. "What are you doing out here by yourself with a baby?"

Tess's smile faltered. "I…the father and I had a fight. I got out and he kept going."

The officer nodded. "Well, I'm heading to Roswell now. We appear to have the situation there under control. Do you have any family there?"

"I hope so," she said a**s** she walked toward the car. "Thank you very much for the lift. What was happening in Roswell?"

"No idea," the officer, whose badge said Martinez, said. "They sent out a general emergency response request to every state officer in five districts. I guess we'll see. Where are you going?

"To my father's house," Tess said.

The officer nodded and they started driving into town. After a few minutes, the officer said, "How old are you, Miss?"

Tess looked down at Zan and ran a fingertip gently over his brow. "Old enough to get pregnant," she said softly, "but not quite old enough to be a mom."

The officer nodded and said nothing more for the remainder of their drive.

Tess knew something was wrong the moment they entered the city. There were too many darkened windows. Roswell was certainly not a metropolis, but it was a city of over 40,000 people. With that many people, there were bound to still be a few businesses open late, or a few homes with porch lights on. But as they drove into town, everything was dark.

"The address you gave me is awfully close to where I'm supposed to be heading," the officer said. "In fact…ma'am, are you any relation to Philip or Diane Evans?"

Tess's heart skipped a beat. Had Max, Michael and Isabel been discovered? Was she in danger too?

"They're the baby's grandparents," she said.

The officer nodded but said nothing.

When they arrived near the Evans's home, the officer had to stop the car nearly two blocks away. Tess climbed out of the car and stared in complete shock at the devastation she saw. Dozens and dozens of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks filled the streets, but there were only a few uniformed officers moving around. As Tess walked closer, she stepped on something soft, and looked down to realize why. She had stepped on the wrist of a dead Roswell deputy. The man had been burned so badly his face was charred and blackened. A few feet away was a state officer, similarly burned. In the Wilson's front yard, which was two houses down and across the street from the Evans', she saw the flaming wreckage of what looked like a helicopter.

As she continued walking forward in a state of shock, she saw more and more police cars burning or destroyed, and everywhere there were bodies.

Finally, she arrived at Max's house. The front living room window had been blown out, but otherwise she could not see any sign of violence.

A hand touched her shoulder. She spun around with a cry, but it was only Officer Martinez, and an older man with more buttons on his uniform. "Miss, this is Captain Richardson. We need to ask you—were you here when this happened?"

Tess shook her head. "I left Roswell last summer," she said. "Max and I had a fight. How…when…what happened here?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Captain Richardson said. "In twenty years on the force, I have never seen carnage like this. Hundreds of officers are dead, including possibly the entire uniformed staff of all of Roswell. Is there anyone, and I mean anyone, who could possibly have wanted to hurt the Evans family?"

Tess shook her head. "No, no one. Philip was an attorney here in town, but I think he mainly did corporate and civil law. I just…I don't understand how this could happen."

The captain nodded to Patrolman Martinez. "It's alright, ma'am. We've set up shop at the Sherriff's department—we'll talk more there and maybe get you something to eat."

Tess's stomach growled and she gave a teary, embarrassed smile to the bedazzled officer. "I am a bit hungry," she confessed.

* * *

Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain

Saturday, January 19, 2002, 4:15 a.m. MST

Deep in the bowels of Cheyenne Mountain, a colonel sat in the chair of a general and held a glass of sweet and sour whiskey in his hands. He had not touched it, but nonetheless it was there, a few melting cubes tinkling inside.

On the desk before him was a short piece of paper in thickly coded Air Force jargon that in essence told him his friend for the past five years was dead.

A year ago, Colonel Jack O'Neill risked his career and teamed up with a man he despised to save General Hammond's job at the SGC from political forces determined to end the program. After that, he felt sure he had secured the general's place in Cheyenne for at least a few more years.

But this… The worse thing of all was that it was being called a training accident. Friendly fire resulting from a malfunctioning release switch. However, the pilot's name was conveniently left off the report and the report had already been accepted by the Pentagon.

It was assassination, nothing more or less.

A presence stepped in. O'Neill looked up to see Kyle Katarn walk through the SGC conference room, into Hammond's office, and sit down. "I am sorry for your loss," Kyle said. "In the short time with him, I sensed he was a good leader and a good man."

"Yeah," O'Neill said, rubbing his eyes. "We get everyone bunked down?"

"The kids are all asleep," Kyle said. He looked down at that glass. "What is that?"

"Medicine," O'Neill said. "Want some?"

"If it's the kind of medicine I'm thinking it is, then yes, very much."

O'Neill turned, opened up Hammond's private stash, mixed a drink, dropped in two cubes of ice, and handed it over. Katarn took a sip and made a face. "Very medicinal," he said with an approving nod.

"So you're from another galaxy, huh?"

"Yep. And you travel through that gate to other worlds, huh?"

"Yep."

Each man sipped his drink. "I don't think this is over," O'Neill said.

"Not by a stretch," Katarn agreed. "The Force is a pretty mysterious thing." He lifted his glass, then removed his hand. The glass stayed where he held it, hovering in the air before O'Neill's widened eyes. "It grants the Jedi, and unfortunately the Sith, powers no human should really have. And yet, I still have it. Those of us who live long enough and have enough patience can tap into it for more than just speed or prowess. There were Jedi, Colonel, so wise they could see the future. They could use the Force as a window to glimpse events all over the galaxy. A good, wise friend of mine told me that through the Force he was able to find and ask the Asgard for help even though they were many galaxies away. And they came."

"The Asgard are pretty good at saving the day," O'Neill noted. "They saved our butts more than once."

"Though I have spanned a century and a half, much of that time was sheer trickery. I've been tricking time itself to care for the Delun women through the ages. But something here has changed. I'm not as wise as many of the Jedi before me, but the Force is telling me something here has changed. I have a feeling that there will be no more tricking of time, and that if I leave this world again, it will not be for long. Something is disturbing the Force. It feels like this is just the calm before a great storm."

"I'm not sure I followed any of that," O'Neill said.

Katarn laughed. "That, my friend, is because you are as tired as I am." He downed the whiskey in a gulp. "Force or not, I need sleep. And you need it even more." He stood, and then offered a hand. "Lay your troubles down for now, my friend. They'll find us again soon enough. For now, be at peace."

"Right. Rest." O'Neill took the hand, laid the notice of General George Hammond's death down on the desk, and walked out shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jedi Master.


	20. Part II: Morning Stories

**Jedi Master Sabbath**--Thank you for the kind words. I wish I had the reviews to support that assertion, but on the other hand I'm glad for the readers like yourself that I have.

**Voration**--This is the start of Part Two. So far I have 5 parts running about 120-150 single-spaced pages a piece. I'm still writing Part 5, so I'll be able to maintain a pretty good post rate for a while yet. I hope you continue to enjoy!

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**Part Two: A War In the Heavens **

After great trouble for humanity, a greater one is prepared  
The Great Mover renews the ages:  
Rain, blood, milk, famine, steel and plague,  
Is the heavens fire seen, a long spark running.

Century II, Quatrain 46

The Prophecies of Nostradamus

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**Chapter Twenty: Morning Stories**

Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Sunday January 20, 2002, 6:42 a.m. MST

**Max and Liz**

Max Evans arose gently from deepest sleep to consciousness. He first became aware of utter, perfect stillness; a sense that everything was right in the world. Then the reason for that perfection came to him in the form of a gentle weight on his shoulder, and a soft, warm body pressed against his under the military-issue blanket.

Liz Parker still slept soundly at his side, a strand of dark hair swept enticingly over her eyes. Her bare shoulders rose slightly over his chest, while the rest of her body pressed against his. There were no unexplained ripples of green energy across her beautiful skin; no pain when she touched him.

They had balanced their energy together, and it was the most wondrous experience either had ever had, but it followed one of the most harrowing days either could imagine.

The one thing that stood out most for Max about Friday was that Kyle Valenti was dead.

He and Kyle had started as enemies; both vied for Liz's affections while Max desperately tried to keep Kyle's father, who was sheriff at the time, from finding out who and what he was. But as with Jim Valenti, over time Kyle became a close friend. Max had even healed him after he was shot the day after Max was rescued from the FBI's special unit.

Max lifted his hand and stared at it, as if he still had Kyle's blood on his skin. Then he looked back at Liz, and wondered if he should feel guilty for finally loving the woman both had wanted for so long. "No," he whispered softly to himself. "I can't feel that way."

On Saturday morning, just yesterday, the whole group of them woke up underneath a mountain in a massive complex of rooms and tunnels connecting to a mysterious, ancient device that allowed people to travel from planet to planet.

Max and Liz woke at the same time in their separate rooms that Saturday morning and by some mutual process of intuition met in the cafeteria at the same time. Their Air Force watchers were very polite and remained at the doors so the two of them could eat in relative peace.

But when Max tried to hold Liz's hand, green energy rippled over her skin and she cried out in pain. They both went immediately to the infirmary.

The base doctor, a pretty woman named Fraiser, looked her over afterward with a variety of machines and even took blood tests and an MRI. Her results were frightening. Right before lunch, she sat Liz and Max down and explained that the neural pathways of her brain had somehow been subtly altered. Although she remained unmistakably human, the structure and organization of her brain were starting to change to resemble those of Max.

"We've seen this before," Fraiser had said. "In my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Max asked. "She's like…me?"

"No, Max," Fraiser said. "You're not entirely human. Cassandra was." Max remembered a feeling of relief and even gratitude at how casually the doctor mentioned his alien nature. To her, and to the rest of the SGC, it really wasn't an issue.

"No," Fraiser continued, "Cassandra was the sole survivor of a population that was being experimented on by a nasty alien called a Goa'uld in order to try and create a more advanced human. Although the experiment was by and large a failure, for a brief time Cassandra displayed many of the characteristics you show, Liz."

Liz looked up at Max, worry on her face. Max shrugged. "I was told that the powers Michael, Is and I have are powers humanity could have in a thousand years if you evolved. Maybe that's what's happening to Liz."

"Maybe," Fraiser said. "The problem is I don't know what to do about it."

It wasn't until after lunch that Siana, of all people, sat down with the two of them in Max's room to explain it.

"Among the Jedi it is called a Force Bond," the padawan explained. "It is most often established between a padawan and a master to ensure the padawan's safety. But sometimes a bond forms between men and women as well. Our greatest leader, Grand Master Luke Skywalker, had a Force Bond with his wife. They could hear each other's thoughts and feel each other across the whole galaxy. You have a similar bond. Perhaps not borne solely of the Force since it seems a little more bioelectrical than Force-borne, but the two of you are bonded in such a way that you could never be happy with any other."

As she spoke, Max felt the young padawan's eyes appraising each of them, as if feeling a sense of jealousy she was simply too good to admit to.

"But Max," Siana continued, "because of what you are—and because you healed Liz not just with your power, but also with your love—your energy is building up inside her faster than she can stand. It is out of balance in her body and if not dealt with could end up harming her, or forcing the two of you apart like opposite poles of magnets."

"What should we do?" Liz asked.

"You need to rebalance your energies," Siana said, glancing significantly from one to the other. "And you need to do it together." Then, just in case either Max or Liz missed her meaning, Siana blushed.

_Boy_, Max thought to himself the next morning in his room, _did they rebalance their energies!_ They rebalanced all night long, and it was everything he could possibly have hoped for, and more.

Liz woke up then, as if sensing his thoughts, and looked at him with deep, dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence and love. She slowly smiled, and Max felt his heart thud faster for it. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning."

"Do you still love me?"

He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you. I will always love you."

When at last they came up for air, Liz lazily ran a hand down his shoulder. "I feel different," she finally said.

"How?"

She looked across the windowless room deep inside the mountain at a cheap reproduction of a Rembrandt painting. She raised her hand and concentrated. The glass of the frame cracked. "That's how," she finally said. She looked back at Max with a serious expression. "I'm like you now," she said. "Somehow."

"Does that scare you?"

"Not if you're here with me."

**Isabel**

Isabel Evans rolled over on the thin, military-issue mattress and reached for her husband of 51 days. Her arm encountered empty air. She opened her eyes and suddenly remembered where she was, and that he was not there with her.

"Oh Jesse," she whispered as she hugged a spare pillow to her chest and wept.

After a time, though, the tears simply ran dry and she lay in an empty bed. With a sigh, she climbed to her feet and took a shower in the small bathroom the suite provided. She emerged and dressed in a pair of military-issue slacks and a black shirt, and went to breakfast.

**Michael and Maria**

Michael Guerin worked two jobs to support himself as an emancipated minor. Although that status was going to be moot upon his impending 18th birthday, nonetheless he had to support himself. One of those jobs was a graveyard shift.

As a result, if left to his own devices, Michael did not get up in the mornings. Period.

Maria Deluca, on the other hand, was an early bird and always woke up at 6:10 a.m. every morning with or without an alarm clock. When she woke that Sunday morning in Stargate Command, she was lying in bed next to Michael. She smiled, wrapped an arm around his chest, and stayed where she was.

**Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter**

"Don't you think we'll have a hard time explaining to their parents why we allowed a bunch of minors to spend the night together?" Carter asked as the two sat alone in the cafeteria. O'Neill was eating artificially flavored strawberries and cream oatmeal. Once upon a time, his favorite breakfast had been Fruit Loops, but recent events had changed his morning routine permanently.

Carter ate a bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese, a banana and a glass of orange juice with extra pulp.

"Ehh, they've been through a lot," O'Neill said with a shrug. "And you heard what Fraiser and Siana said about that Parker girl and King Max. It was for their own good."

Carter snorted and took a bite of banana. "Keep telling yourself that, Sir."

O'Neill gave her a look of pure, golden innocence. "Carter, are you jealous?"

He was still maintaining that angelic expression while Carter choked on her bagel when Harriman walked in. Since General Hammond's death, the chief's expression was as sad and morose as that of an abused puppy. Carter fought an urge to pet him, once she caught her breath after choking, of course.

Harriman placed a sheet of paper on the table before O'Neill. "This just came for you sir."

O'Neill glanced over it quickly and then handed it over to Carter. "Thanks, Walter. Do you want to join us?"

"Thank you sir, but I've already eaten." He turned and left.

"General Maynard is coming here?" Carter said, reading.

"Yep, Monday. Looks like the Secretary of Defense as well. And the Director of the FBI. And the Director of the CIA. And the NID. It's going to be a regular party."

Carter suddenly looked up with wide-eyes. "Sir, am I reading this right? It's addressed to Brigadier General Jack O'Neill."

"Oh yeah, that," O'Neill said. "Sorry, forgot to tell you about that. I got a call this morning. Early this morning." He stared sadly into his oatmeal over the loss of sleep. "Anyway, looks like I was the only practical replacement for Hammond." He shook his head at how ridiculous that sounded—as if anyone could replace George Hammond.

Carter stuttered. "But, sir, what about SG-1?"

"What about it, Lieutenant Colonel?"

She stared, absorbed the information, and then shook her head. "You're doing this to get back at me for all those big words I use, aren't you?" Carter said.

"Maybe." O'Neill put his spoon down and stared at her across the table for such a long time Carter felt her cheeks blush. "Sam, you are, by far, the finest officer I have ever served with in the Air Force or anywhere else, and you are an outstanding person all around," he said at last. "You are the only person I would ever want to lead SG-1, if you'll take it."

"Well, of course I will, sir, but…"

"But what?"

"Never mind, sir."

"Good." He finished eating his oatmeal while Carter absently munched on her bagel.

**Teal'c and Kyle Katarn, ****Siana Delun and Rain Robinson**

"This is a magnificent weapon!" Teal'c exulted as he and Kyle sparred in the gym. Teal'c gripped the lightsaber cane of Darth Nihl in the same way he would have held a Jaffa staff weapon, except one end of it produced a meter long blade of red energy that could cut through almost any known material.

"You've been trained well to handle staff weapons," Kyle noted with a discerning eye. "But you're fighting with the staff itself rather than the blade. It's not uncommon, even among Force users. The blade of a lightsaber is completely weightless. For those used to vibroblades or more primitive edged weapons, it is a completely different experience."

"I understand," Teal'c said, and he did. "I am fighting as I have always fought, rather than adjusting my tactics to take into account this new option."

"Exactly."

Teal'c dropped back into a fighting stance. "Correct my mistakes, Master Jedi."

Siana Delun sat on a bench next to Rain Robinson at the far end of the room, watching. "Those are two very handsome men," Rain said. "Hmm. So what does it mean, exactly, for Kyle to be your master?"

Rain's thoughts made Siana blush. "He is my guardian," Siana said quickly. "It is written into the dying testament of every Delun that in the event of the death of the parents before the next generation comes of age, guardianship falls to Kyle Katarn. It was that way for my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and so on, for a hundred and thirty years. It's not what you were thinking."

Rain shrugged and smiled disarmingly. "Don't worry, honey, he's safe from me. I'm too busy saving the world to have a relationship with just about anybody." She watched the two men sparring with their brightly colored blades. "But if I had the time…." She turned to Siana. "What about you?"

"I've only been here three days."

"No, silly, I mean back in your home. Did you have anyone?"

"Padawans were strongly encouraged not to form romantic relationships. It complicated things."

"But now?"

Daniel Jackson chose that moment to step into the room. Siana watched him, and Rain watched her. "Yes, I see," Rain said.

"You are a wanton woman," Siana said, but without heat.

"I'm wantin' all right, that's for sure."

Just then Isabel entered and stopped at the door as Kyle and Teal'c began spinning and exchanging blows. She very carefully skirted the wall as she moved around them, until she was sitting next to Siana, opposite Rain.

"Good morning," she said.

"Mornin'," Rain said.

"Greetings," Siana said.

"That's pretty…how can they do that?"

Siana smiled. "Master Katarn is fighting without using the Force, so Teal'c would have a fair match. But Teal'c has trained since childhood as a warrior among his people too, so they are well matched in basic skill. But watch this."

Teal'c made a masterful swing with the lightsaber cane, his blade heading right toward Kyle. Except that, faster than the eye could follow, the Jedi master somersaulted over the swing and Teal'c as well, landing on his feet until he had a blade at Teal'c's neck. He immediately pulled the purple saber away.

Teal'c nodded, Kyle bowed slightly, and the two re-engaged.

"The Force is strong in my master," Siana said. "If he had been at Ossus, I sometimes wonder if the outcome would have been different."

"Where was he?"

"Cheating time," Siana said. "It's a long story. He fell to the Dark Side of the Force once, when he was young. And when he did, he cut off the arm and almost killed my ancestor. He stopped himself, ended up saving her life, and then in penance for his crime promised to protect her and her child for the rest of his life. But when the Vong invaded the galaxy, he was not able to save her. He killed thousands of Vong, but it wasn't enough, and Nani died. After that, he vowed to guard all her descendents for as long as he could. That's when he started using time dilation to prolong his life, emerging from near light-speed travel every few years to make sure we are all right. He saved my grandmother twice, and my mother once when she was a teenager."

Isabel decided she didn't even know enough about time dilation to ask what it meant. Instead, watching Kyle and Teal'c flash their laser swords against each other, she said, "Is the Force something that can be taught?"

Siana looked at her. "To those who are Force sensitive, and even then only to the most dedicated students," she said. "Only a knight or master may teach the ways of the Force."

Isabel nodded. "Just wondering."

**Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully**

"That Colonel O'Neill let those Roswell kids spend the night in each other's rooms," Dana Scully said, scandalized.

Fox Mulder grinned as he draped an arm across her bare chest and kissed her neck. "The nerve of some people."

"There's no comparison," Scully said defensively. "We are consenting adults. We have a child, for goodness' sake! They are teenagers."

"Of course."

Dana shifted to her side, facing him. "You were going to leave the Bureau before this, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"And now?"

Mulder shrugged. "We're finding answers, Dana. For the first time, we're finding real, concrete answers. And we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we're not alone." He kissed her, but his eyes were staring off into some infinite point behind her. "We've spoken to beings from other galaxies. And this Stargate program deals with aliens on a daily basis. This is everything I have been searching for."

She raised a hand and pressed it against his cheek. "So what are you going to do?"

Gradually, his gaze returned to her. "I don't know," he admitted. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

**Roberta Lincoln and Ramses, her shape-shifting Cat**

Sorry. There might be kids reading.


	21. Jedi Wannabes

Well, on the one hand, no reviews. But on the other hand, that makes for a shorter author's intro for the next chapter. Enjoy.

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* * *

****Chapter Twenty-One: Jedi Wannabes**

3 Parsecs North of the Solar Ecliptic, Hebridan System

The fabric of space and time explodes in a torrential shower of Cronau radiation as three monsters break through the barriers of the higher dimensions and re-enter real space.

Immediately one of the three ships, over 8000 meters in length, begins to spin heel over stern as its massive array of engines flare and explode. The explosions spread down the whole length of the ship, until the hypermatter reactor that is its heart breaks open and the massive ship shatters with energy enough to crack a small moon in half.

A second ship also begins to spin, and suffers a lesser but still catastrophic explosion in the engineering section, but slowly is able to arrest the spinning motion with prolonged sprays from the manual maneuvering thrusters. Moments later, every light on its surface dims as it loses all power.

The third ship shudders under the damage wrought by hyper-accelerating into a hyperspace window, and within it all systems automatically shut down, but nothing explodes.

Eventually, the systems restore themselves. From the center of the massive ship, a strong, ancient voice says: "Report!"

"The hyperdrive motivators are completely destroyed," the Chagrian, Darth Wyyrlock, reports. "Sublight drives are also completely destroyed and will have to be replaced. The _Star's End_ exploded upon reversion to real space. All hands lost. The _Revenge_ has suffered catastrophic system failures. Their hypermatter reactor is venting badly and is likely beyond repair. However, we may be able to use the ship for salvage."

"Weapons?" Darth Krayt asks.

"We have lost our main batteries at the moment, but all point defense turbolasers appear functional, and our crew chief states the main guns are repairable given sufficient time."

"Our location?"

"We are determining that now, but it appears that we are in the same galaxy as the Jedi who fled us."

Wyyrlock bows his head as he listens to a report on his sub-dermal com patch. "Master, ships are approaching. We are bringing up a holograph now."

Krayt leans forward on his throne and studies the alien ship. They are tiny ships, barely a hundred meters in length, but bristling with armaments of unfamiliar design.

"They are hailing us, but in no known language," the Chagrian states.

Krayt nods. "Not surprising. Destroy two of the vessels and tractor the third into the main cargo hold. Have soldiers board it and capture as many of the occupants as possible. I shall learn their language myself."

"As you wish, Master."

The Hebridans stand no chance even against the point defense weapons of a _Pellaeon-_class Star Destroyer.

* * *

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Monday, January 21, 2002, 12:35 p.m. MST

In the Rec Room of Stargate Command, Max, Michael, Isabel and Liz sat cross-legged in a semi-circle facing Siana. All five of them had their eyes closed. In the focal point of their bodies, a bag of chips floated in mid-air. Maria Deluca sat in a couch, reading a trashy romance novel while glancing up occasionally at what the five of them were doing.

A moment later, Katarn stepped in with Teal'c at his side. The two warriors had become inseparable over the weekend.

The bag flew from the middle of the group of teenagers into Katarn's waiting hand. He held it to Teal'c, who opened it. "Barbecue is an especially pleasing flavor," the Jaffa noted.

Kyle popped one into his mouth and nodded. "Indeed." He moved until he stood between Siana and Isabel, and then plopped down into a cross-legged position. Teal'c moved to the other side but did not sit.

"So, I was walking down the hall with Teal'c here," the Jedi master began, "when I felt a flux in the Force. It felt very much like four initiates trying to levitate something. Now, I told myself there were no initiates around here, and my little girl Blue was much too smart to try and introduce anyone on this planet to the Force. So, since I know that can't be true, want to tell me what was really happening here just now?"

Siana blushed and stared down at her lap.

"It's my fault," Max said. "It was something she told Isabel when we were running from that Sith man. That we could touch the Force. I asked her to show us how."

"That's all very good and nice, King Max," Katarn said, unconsciously copying O'Neill's term for the young man, "but I was actually talking to my ward there. Siana, care to answer?"

She took a deep breath and stared right back at him. "After Max asked me, I meditated on it. It felt like the right thing to do, Master."

"During this meditation of yours, did you actually bother to ask your master?"

"My master is dead," she said hotly. Immediately, she bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Master Katarn. No, I did not ask your permission. I realize I should have."

Max looked fit to explode with the need to speak. Kyle continued to ignore him. "Siana, this is not our world, or even our Galaxy. And we have all seen over the years how just a little Force training is enough to cause untold damage. Unless these four were ready and willing to forsake all other things and become Jedi, even to the extent of following us back to our galaxy, they should not be shown anything."

"It felt like the right thing to do, Master Katarn," Siana said again. "Look at their Force Signatures."

"I see them, Padawan. What I also see is that these are children from a primitive planet divided by warring nation-states in a galaxy on the other side of the universe from ours. Will their allegiance be to the Force, or to their country? Will they participate in the wars of this planet? Will they use the Force to become rulers of this planet? Max was a king once; how do you know that with the additional powers provided by the Force, he may not wish to be a king again? Did you consider any of these things?"

"I did not," Siana admitted, though she refused to let her gaze wander from his again. "I asked the Force to guide me, and this is what it told me to do. It felt like the right thing to do."

Suddenly Kyle exploded into motion so fast, none could follow. For one second, he was sitting peacefully talking. The next he was on his feet, his lightsaber swinging toward Max.

No mere human should have been able to respond. And yet, when the saber came down, it met a blue-green field of energy emanating from Max's hand.

Kyle retracted his saber and looked from Max back to Siana, then back again. "Max Evans, do you have any idea what it means to be a Jedi?"

"Only what Siana has told me," Max said. "It means to be a protector. I've never taken a life, but I have saved many. Including Siana's on two occasions. I've never used my power for personal gain, and I have no desire to be a king of anything."

From behind Kyle, Siana said: "Do you see, Master Katarn?"

Kyle resumed his seat and looked at all of them. "In the Old Republic of our galaxy, Jedi potentials were removed from their families as infants and trained since earliest childhood to be a Jedi. Those that were not strong enough in the Force to be a true knight were still kept within the order, serving in other capacities. It was believed that a person with even minor training was a danger to the galaxy until that training was completed. The Jedi acted as guardians of the galaxy, stepping in to preserve the peace by any method necessary, including diplomacy or strength of arms if necessary. They owed their allegiance to no specific government, no specific person, but followed the will of the Force itself.

"After the purges of the Empire, that tradition changed. Now people of all ages are accepted for training. Even so, the New Jedi Order has discovered that there are certain ages that are better than others. All of you are old to begin the training. And it is a lifetime commitment. If we decide to train you in the ways of the Force, will you use it as Americans? As Humans? Or as Jedi?"

"We're technically not humans or Americans," Max said with a wry smile. "We're outsiders here and among our own people. So even if we wanted to be different, I would have to say that we would use any powers learned as Jedi."

"And you, Liz Parker? You are both human and American."

"It doesn't matter. I would use any abilities as a Jedi."

"And you, Isabel Evans?"

"As Jedi."

"And you, Michael Guerin?"

"I guess as a Jedi. But I should tell you, I have a problem finishing things. I still don't know if I'm going to be able to finish high school, much less this."

"If you start," Katarn said, "you will finish."

"Then as a Jedi," Michael said.

Kyle looked from each face. "You act as if you have been thinking about this for some time. More than just a few days."

"Master Katarn, it's difficult to explain," Max said. "None of us ever belonged here. For most of our lives we didn't even know what we were, much less where we came from. We only knew we were different. Even after we found out, it never felt right. I've only acted in my capacity as King of Antar once, and the whole experience felt wrong. But when I healed Siana the first time, I caught flashes of her life. Not just at the end when the Sith came to Ossus, but also of her life before then. I envied her feelings of belonging and of being a part of something greater than herself. I didn't know what it was, but I wanted to be a part of it. And the more we talked, the more I wanted to be what she was. What you are."

Kyle nodded as he listened. "And the rest of you?"

"Well, we definitely never belonged anywhere," Michael said.

"And I just belong with Max," Liz said. "Siana said we are bonded."

"Yeah, I can see that," Kyle said. "You two are as bad as Luke and Mara were. I could almost hang clothes to dry on that link of yours." He stood and stepped away for a moment. "If we were in my galaxy, it would be a simple matter. But this isn't my galaxy. I am a guest here, with no immediate means of getting home. While here, I must abide by the laws of this world. And from what I understand, there are limits on what I can do with minors without your parents' consent."

"We'll get it," Max said without hesitation.

"And then there is the greater question of the government here. From what I have heard, they are meeting in mere minutes to decide what to do with the whole lot of us."

"My dad's a lawyer," Max said. "We can always sue them if they try to get in the way."

Suddenly Kyle laughed. "There are lawyers everywhere, aren't there?" He paced around them. "I will meditate on this. In the meantime, Siana, no more lessons. Training must be done by a knight or a master, and as talented and skilled as you are, Padawan, you are neither of those."

"I understand, Master."

Kyle left. Teal'c stood and looked down at them. "I believe he will say yes. I wish you all success in your endeavors."

Then he left too.

Everyone stared at Siana. "You think he will say yes?"

"Kyle is legendary for doing the right thing," she said. "This is the right thing to do. I know it."

* * *

Villa Reynaldo, 45 minutes south of Mexico City, Mexico, Monday, January 21, 2002, 1:05 p.m. MST

The village of 200 was deserted. Where an adobe building once served as the administrative center for the dying village, a large tent now stood over the cleared foundation.

Within this tent sat a man still wearing the insignia and uniform of a United States Army colonel. Ordinarily, a member of a foreign military on Mexican soil would be arrested immediately. However, not this time.

Across a folding table from the colonel sat two men in expensive three-piece suits, and an attractive young woman, also wearing a brand-new business dress. A few feet away, a baby lay in a stroller, playing with a mobile.

"I still don't understand why I should be talking to you," Colonel Phillip Green said to the young lady.

"Because I speak for your benefactor," Tess Harding said. "And your benefactor wants to know what happened at Rogers, and why the situation was not contained."

"There were two aliens on the ship, not just one," Colonel Green said with a sneer. "Your super soldiers weren't able to contain either of them. In fact, they made a whole bloody mess of it. I even dropped a fuel-air bomb on a town to take one out, and it didn't work. And that stupid plant of yours—Tennenbaum—just kept getting in the way. Now the Air Force has the whole lot of them—the alien on the shuttle, the shuttle itself, and those kids from Roswell that you were supposed to take care of last year."

Beside her, one of Kivar's recently hybridized supersoldiers said: "The aliens were more dangerous than anyone could imagine. We dispatched fifty of our best men with 150 of your soldiers to contain them in Santa Fe. From what I understand, almost all are dead, and the only reason one of the two aliens in question died was because a third arrived and killed him. Now we have two alien beings on Earth in talks with high level government officials, only one of whom is under our direct control."

"So what do we do?"

The two figures looked at each other, then down at Tess. "Your benefactor is considering direct intervention," she said at last.

"Meaning?"

"He is coming here."

"I thought he wasn't coming for another ten years. 2012, he said."

"He felt he no longer had the luxury of that time. And he's not coming alone."

Green stared across the table at her. Around the deserted village, those few men loyal directly to him continued to scavenge for supplies. "And me?"

"Your time may still come," Tess said. "But not right now. Your benefactor recommends you disappear, Colonel Green. We'll provide you funds to ensure your comfort, and the comfort of your men. But we need you out of sight for now."

Green stood slowly, an array of emotions sweeping across his otherwise-handsome face. "I'm not going away forever. I will be back. And one day, history will remember Colonel Green."

"Of that I have no doubt," Tess said.

The colonel got up and left. When he was gone, Tess turned to her two handlers. "What are your instructions after this?"

"To kill the Royal Four," they said. "Yourself excluded."

"That's a relief," Tess muttered. "Well, there's only one way to find out where they are."

* * *

Thank you for reading. DM


	22. The Greater of Two Evils

Jedi Master Sabbath--Thank you very much. Part I of Heaven Falls was primer. The real story is just getting started.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Greater of Two Evils; Death By Shopping**

System Lords Space, The Realm of Baal

Lord Baal sat in his throne in the pel'tak of his ha'tak flagship drinking tea. It was a vintage leaf, a gift from Lord Yu. The gift had accompanied the head of one of Baal's spies, but the tea leaves themselves were exquisite.

"Lord, we have detected a vessel," his prime Jaffa said, kneeling.

"Describe the vessel."

"Unknown design, but large in size. It appears to be eight times larger than this vessel."

Baal sat up, his tea forgotten. "Speed?"

"It travels at sublight speed only, m'lord."

"Then it is not so advanced after all," Baal said. "Eight times our size? It is over 8000 meters, then?"

"Yes, lord."

"Let us visit this ship, then, and give them our regards."

"Yes, Lord."

The five ha'taks of Baal's attack force flashed into hyperspace for a few minutes and then emerged a few thousand kilometers from the unknown vessel.

Though he would never dream of allowing fear to show on his face before his servants, Baal's heart nonetheless skipped a beat when he caught sight of the massive black fortress in space. Its lines were clean and straight, menacing in its darkness. Then it rolled toward them, and he could not help but see the massive line of gun emplacements.

"The hull is of unknown composition," his Prime said. "The sub light drives appear to be of an advanced ion design. The energy readings are beyond our abilities to measure, but it also appears to have extensive damage."

"Hail them."

"Yes, Lord."

A moment later, a picture began resolving on Baal's viewscreen as alien computers sought the right codes to communicate with each other. Finally, the picture cleared, and Baal found himself staring at a horror.

The figure was large, and clad in grotesque body armor that ended with a strange crown that covered the upper half of his face. "Who are you?" the figure said in a deep, reverberating voice. It spoke in Hebridan, a language Baal knew only in part

It was enough. Baal summoned the strong core of his being that made his subjects tremble. "I am Baal, Lord of this region. Who are you, and why do you enter System Lord space?"

"I am Darth Krayt," the figure said. "The _Dragon's Claw_ is my vessel. I am searching for a lost servant, and will go where I must to recover him. Stand aside, and I will leave you in peace. Oppose me, and you will suffer."

It was the wrong thing to say. The Goa'uld held dominance over the Jaffa not just through brutal force and fear, but also through respect. It was not enough to obey; the Jaffa had to worship Baal. And no one could worship a god who bowed in fear before a strange alien in the face of such a threat and insult.

"When I have you on my torture table, we shall see who suffers," Baal hissed. "Destroy them!" he ordered.

The five ha'taks opened fire with their many staff cannon emplacements, sending orange-gold bursts of destructive energy against the 8 kilometer-long star destroyer.

The gold bursts of energy impacted against the still weakened shields of the _Dragon's Claw_ just as the destroyer returned fire.

Although the _Dragon's_ main guns were still off line, the point defense systems worked at full power, and unleashed a torrent of fire at twenty times the rate of all five ha'taks combined. Further, the destroyer focused its fire on one ship at a time. In the initial twenty seconds of the barrage, the first ha'tak's shields collapsed and green bolt after bolt ripped through the ship, until it finally exploded.

The barrage of fire moved onto the next target before the first had finished exploding.

On the pel'tak of his ship, Baal howled for his men to launch all death gliders. Each of the four remaining capital ships launched four dozen death gliders. In moments almost two hundred fighters soared toward the enemy ship.

"Lord Baal, the enemy also launches fighters!" his prime announced.

"How many?"

The prime turned slowly, horror written on his face. "Near a thousand, Lord."

A second ha'tak blew up and a third was under fire. Baal noted the targeting was moving in a systematic row down the line of his ships, and that his was next. On the tactical console, he saw the red dots of his fighters flashing out in quick succession under the swarms of blue that marked the enemy.

"The other Lords must know of this outrage!" Baal declared. "Break off the attack. We will gather our forces and decide best how to destroy this intruder!"

The third ha'tak exploded just as Baal and his remaining support ship entered hyperspace. The death gliders that were still in flight found themselves abandoned.

* * *

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Stargate Command Conference Room, Monday, January 21, 2002, 4:15 p.m. MST

Michael Guerin was bored.

When Michael got bored, he became irritating. When Michael became irritating, Maria Deluca got moody. And when Maria got moody, everyone suffered.

"Uhhhh, will you stop drumming the stupid table!" Maria finally exploded. Michael stopped and stared.

"It is kind of irritating," Liz noted.

"Fine," Michael muttered. He stood and began pacing around the room. Isabel stood staring out a window at the Stargate, while Liz and Max simply sat next to each other.

"Stop it!" Maria demanded.

The two looked up with expressions of innocence. "Stop what?" Liz asked.

"Stop…stop…I don't know, stop being so happy! We know you did it, okay! You don't need to go around glowing like…like radioactive bunny rabbits all day."

"What's a radioactive bunny rabbit?" Siana asked, looking from one party to the other.

"Someone who glows and makes out all the time," Maria said with another puff of air. She started pacing on the other side of the table from Michael.

Daniel Jackson walked in with Lieutenant Colonel Carter by his side. "Well, I've got some good news!"

"We can go home?" Michael asked.

"We're going to get paid lots of money to remain silent?" Maria asked.

"You're going to shoot me so I don't have to listen to them anymore?" Isabel said.

"Hmmm, no," Daniel said, eyes wide. "But we did get permission to relocate you out of Stargate Command. We've set up a safe house just outside of Colorado Springs for you all to share. It's a pretty large building so you'll have all the space you need."

"It's not Vegas, but we'll take it," Maria said.

"What about Master Katarn and me?" Siana asked.

Carter shrugged. "Siana, we're not sure what's going to happen with you two. In the facility above the SGC, there is a meeting going on with the most powerful people in this country, and they're talking about you and Kyle right now. Now, the FBI agents who helped you have both testified about you, and you do have permission to go with Max and the others, but Kyle needs to stay here. So, you have a choice."

Siana seemed to sink a little inside herself. "May I ask my master?"

"Of course, I'll go get him… Siana?"

The padawan had closed her eyes. A moment later, she grinned. "He gave me permission to go!"

"Thank God," Isabel muttered. "At least I'll have someone intelligent to talk to."

"Colonel," Max said, after glaring at his sister, "Do you know when we can talk to our parents?"

"In about four hours, when they get here," Carter said. "There were some pretty serious legal ramifications about holding minors without parental consent, so as soon as we could have it arranged, we made plans for them to come."

The two SG-1 members noted how the Roswell kids all seemed to sag when they realized they would not have the run of the house to themselves. It was almost laughable, and then Liz said, "Does Mr. Valenti know about his son?"

"Yes," Daniel said, suddenly somber. "And he's asked to come as well."

True to their word, the five Roswell kids and Siana traveled up the impossibly long elevator ride to the massive doors that opened onto a long tunnel bored through the mountain itself, to a waiting green and white bus. The five of them, with Jackson and two SGC soldiers, climbed aboard and soon the bus was moving.

"Before we get to the house, I've been given a government card to do some shopping," Jackson said. "Clothes and toiletries, mainly."

From the rear of the bus Maria squealed. "You mean we get to go clothes shopping! And the Feds are going to pay for everything?"

"Maybe Colonel Carter should have come instead," Isabel noted wryly.

Daniel shook his head. "Sam doesn't even know where the clothes store is. Teal'c would be better—for an alien raised from birth to be a warrior for an evil god, that man knows how to pick clothes."

They all saw white light ahead, and emerged into… "Snow?" Maria said. "Is that snow?"

Siana also stared. "It does not snow on Ossus," she said. "But I have seen it occasionally on other worlds."

The other kids fell silent and turned to her. "How many planets have you been to?" Max asked.

"Thirty," Siana said. "My master was Kol Skywalker, the leader of the Jedi High Council. The Federation asked for his assistance many times, and as part of my training I went with him. But I only saw snow three times. It seems so…soft."

"And cold," Maria pointed out. "And we're wearing nothing but T-shirts."

Daniel flashed a golden American Express card. "Hence the shopping trip."

They arrived at the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs and quickly disgorged from the bus by the closest entrance, running and shivering through the snowfall. All, that was, except Siana, who walked slowly with her hands on either side to catch the flakes.

When she finally got inside, she saw Maria and Liz clasping hands as if in pain, jumping up and down. They saw Siana and grabbed her. "Come on, there's an Old Navy!"

Michael groaned. "Come on, boys," Isabel said with a sly smile. "They have boy stuff too."

"Did I mention the account has a limit?" Daniel called after the girls.

The girl behind the counter had blue and purple tinted hair, a shredded shirt that showed the black bra beneath, and a nose ring. "Nice hair," she said as Siana walked in. "How did you get it down to the roots without staining your scalp?"

"I'm an alien," Siana said.

"Oh, I get it," the girl said, nodding as she smacked her gum.

Siana then experienced something unique to human females across all galaxies that, because of her time in the Jedi, she had never been through before. It contained all the challenges of the Jedi trials with the exhilaration of a hunt. With Maria and Liz by her side, Jedi Padawan Siana Delun went shopping for clothes. She found she liked it.

Daniel walked up to the girl behind the counter and gave her the card. "Everyone wearing boots, fatigues and black T-shirts goes on that card. Don't even tell me how much it is."

"Will do, Babe."

Two hours and $2,456.89 later (Daniel did have to sign the receipt), the six kids walked out with bags and bags of new clothes, and new coats on their backs.

"Look!" Michael said. "This place has an Orange Julius! I haven't had an Orange Julius since El Paso!"

So they went to have an Orange Julius. Then they realized they were hungry. Despite Michael's vote for Hooters, the group settled on Ruby Tuesday and crammed into an oversized booth. Their Air Force handlers sat at a table within easy reach.

"So, Siana, having fun?" Isabel asked.

"Yes, I am," she confessed. "What is this food?"

"That would be a hamburger," Daniel said. Despite an intense desire to stay with the handlers, he sat at the table with the suddenly rambunctious teenagers. "I hope Jedi are not vegetarian."

"Some are," Siana said. "There are those who are so attached to all life through the Force they cannot consume any animals. I am fortunate not to suffer that problem." She took a large bite.

"I knew there was a reason I saved her," Michael said with a grin.

By the time they reached their safe house, it was already dark. The house itself looked almost like a converted dorm or apartment. It was a huge, two story building sitting in the middle of an open field within sight of the mountains on the west side, and open plains extending for as far as they could see to the East.

There was a shuttle bus and two dark sedans parked in front of the house.

"Your parents are there," Siana said with certainty.

She was right, of course. Maria was the first in, and dropped her three bags of clothes with a squeal as she ran to her mother's arms. Liz gave her parents a hug as well, while Max and Isabel moved to theirs. As Siana followed up the rear with Daniel and the handlers, she noticed Jim Valenti standing off to one side.

She felt his pain, and quietly moved around the many reunions until she stood by his side. "I am sorry for your loss," she said softly. He turned and looked down at her, and she could see his eyes were red.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

She did, quietly, in an even tone. After a time, she realized the others had fallen silent and were listening as Jim Valenti learned how his son died. When Siana finished, he nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

Max stepped forward, and without a word, gave the former sheriff a hug. Liz followed, then Maria and Isabel. Even Michael gave the man a hug. They all stepped back. "What will you do now?" Max said.

"My job," Valenti said. He removed a gold star from his pocket. "I have a department to rebuild. It'll be awfully boring without you kids there."

"I bet you can't wait," Max said.

Jim laughed, though his voice was thick. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." He shook Max's hand. "You are all extraordinary people. It has been an honor and a privilege to know you. And I think Kyle would have said the same. Thank you for the trust you showed in me, and you, Max, for giving me one more year with my son. I just wished I'd spent it better." He hugged them all again, then nodded for one of the three drivers and left.

When he was gone, Siana noticed another conspicuous absence. She looked around, and saw Isabel standing beside her mother, her head bowed in grief. She knew they were talking about why Jesse was not there.

Eventually, they all settled down at a large table adjacent to a fully-stocked, state-of-the-art kitchen. "So what happens next?" Philip Evans asked when they were all settled.

"We're working on that now," Daniel said. "So far, your children's identities have been restricted to need-to-know personnel for their own safety. But you should know there was a pretty important meeting today with several cabinet members and four-star generals. It was very hush-hush, but we know the kids were a part of that discussion."

"And Siana?" Diane Evans asked, as always thinking of others.

"My master is here," Siana said. "Whatever is decided, I am safe with him."

"Yeah, that guy kicks ass," Michael muttered. He looked up and blushed. "Uh, sorry. But he does. He saved us all."

"What about us?" Jeff Parker said.

"That depends," Daniel said. "I understand you met Agents Mulder and Scully? The two of them have been put in charge of a taskforce to hunt down the men who attacked you all. We believe, however, that the immediate danger to you is passed. We think it is safe for you to return home."

"With Liz?" Nancy Parker demanded.

"Well, that's complicated," Liz said.

With a look up at Max, Liz reached across the table to an empty blue vase. She placed her hand on it and concentrated. The glass immediately began to deform and melt. "I'm like Max now, Mom. More than that. We're getting married."

"Like hell you are," Nancy said. She turned, though, when her husband rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Liz, you're only seventeen," her dad said with much less heat.

"For another month," Liz pointed out. "We have to, Mom. We're linked. I can't even explain it."

"They share a telepathic and physical link that will prevent them from ever being happy apart," Siana said. "It is a real, physiological phenomenon recorded by the Air Force doctor who examined her. If you try to separate them, both will eventually become physically ill. They are already married in spirit—it would be appropriate for them to marry in fact."

Nancy glared, but Jeff nodded. "I figured," he said. "Come on, honey, we were eighteen when we got married."

"Then we divorced."

"And got married again," Jeff said. He turned and smiled. "For what it's worth, you have my blessing."

For her part, Amy Deluca said to Maria and Michael, "If you two try getting married, I will beat you to death with my shoe."

"Okay," Michael said quickly.

"Are you sure about this, Max?" Philip asked, ignoring Amy.

"She completes me," was all Max said.

"Okay, to sum up," Daniel said, clapping his hands, "the kids need to stay here for now, parents can stay if they want, Max and Liz are getting married, Michael and Maria are not. Any questions? No, okay. It's late. I'm going home now. Your handlers are here. If you need anything, please call General O'Neill." With that, Daniel stood, waved, and left.

"So," Philip Evans said, "what will we talk about for the rest of the evening?"


	23. SG1

**jfr07**--Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: SG-1**

Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, Tuesday, January 22, 2002, 9:15 a.m. MST

"Thank you for seeing us, Master Katarn," the woman at the end of the table said.

Kyle nodded as he took a seat at the end of a very full table. Each person staring at him had a name holder in front of them, with titles that ranged from General to Chief of Staff. The last was the woman at the other end of the table facing him.

Secretary of State Beatrice Franklin was a grandmotherly figure whose rich brown skin flawlessly hid her years of experience in politics. Her voice was svelte, like a wrought-iron rod wrapped in layers of velvet. When she spoke, everyone listened. Kyle knew from her presence and Force signature that she was the highest authority in the room at the moment.

"It is I who should thank you and your country. My ward and I have been treated most graciously. I am at your convenience, Madam Secretary."

"You should know, Master Katarn, that this meeting is being simulcast to the President of this country. He can hear and see everything we do, and may interrupt with questions."

"I understand."

"You should also know, Master Katarn, that there has been a great deal of discussion over what to do with you and your ward. Frankly, your abilities frighten us. What we saw this…Darth Nihl was his name?...do was terrifying, and we do not want even a possibility of something like that happening again."

"The Sith are terrifying," Kyle said. "And I completely understand your concerns."

"Thank you. First of all, I think it would behoove everyone here if you could give us some history behind the conflict that brought you and Miss Delun here."

"The Jedi and Sith have existed for tens of thousands of years," Kyle told them. "And we have been clashing almost since that time. I suppose it is only natural between two equal but opposite forces. The Jedi stand for peace and justice. Historically Jedi were diplomats and peace keepers throughout the galaxy. The Sith have historically been conquerors and destroyers. Whereas we Jedi are trained to master our emotions to keep them from controlling us, the Sith harness their emotions, especially those associated with the Dark side, such as fear and hatred, and use them to give them power."

As he talked and described the known history between the two diametrically opposed forces, many heads bobbed as if in agreement, while others shook their heads in mild disbelief. However, none yawned or showed any signs of inattentiveness.

"Do you think these Sith pose a threat to Earth?"

"Although theoretically hyperdrives could span the distance between our galaxies, it would take many decades, possibly even centuries, and more fuel than would be possible for our ships to carry. The phenomenon that brought my padawan here was a fluke. I myself caught a ride from your allies, the Asgard."

Secretary Franklin nodded as she framed the next question in her mind. "If, to play devil's advocate, the Sith from your galaxy were able to duplicate your ward's method of travel and get here, would they pose a danger?"

"Absolutely."

"In such an event, what would you recommend?"

"I would recommend you surrender, hand Siana and me over to be killed, and then pray to whatever deities you worship that the Sith don't kill or enslave you all out of spite."

Those around the table muttered. "That seems rather extreme, doesn't it?" one of the generals said.

"The Sith have allied with the Galactic Empire," Kyle said. "Shortly before I left, the Empire had just defeated and nearly obliterated the combined fleet of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. If even one _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer made it to this galaxy, it would be enough to destroy anything in its path. In truth, I would sooner hand myself and Siana over than have such a vessel open fire on your planet."

"What would a worse case scenario be if a 'star destroyer' opened fire on our planet?"

"If they used only their secondary batteries, they could level all the cities on your planet in about an hour. And by level, I mean complete vaporization of all material to a depth of twenty meters. If they used their main guns, they could sheer continents in half and crack your planet wide open."

Those around the table leaned back in their chairs, staring at each other in silence while absorbing the images Kyle painted.

Behind the Secretary of State, the wall suddenly came to life. It showed a picture of a black star field, bisected by a massive wedge of a dark material, and from the wedge a shower of green dots approaching the camera operator. "This was sent to us by the Tok'ra, our allies against the Goa'uld. They claim this vessel engaged in battle with a Goa'uld System lord and roundly defeated him. Master Katarn, is this a star destroyer?"

Kyle stood and walked slowly around the table until he was right in front of the picture. He crossed his arms and simply stood for the longest time. Then he returned to his seat and nodded. "It is."

"Do you still believe we should turn you and your ward over if that ship arrives here?"

Kyle leaned forward. "Madam Secretary, I will kill my ward and myself before I put an entire world under threat from the Sith. It is the role of the Jedi to protect, and that is the only protection I could offer you. You cannot fight a star destroyer."

"It's one ship," a general said. "We've fought off two Goa'uld attack vessels before."

"That ship is 8 kilometers long," Kyle said. "It can destroy planets. It is manned by the most intelligent, well-trained and capable beings in the whole of our galaxy. If you are deemed a target, you will not even have a chance to fight back. Once they are in orbit, you are dead. It is that simple."

Franklin nodded. "Thank you for your candor, Master Katarn. We hope it won't come to that. The destroyer is not close to us yet, and in fact is in the middle of Goa'uld space. We are hoping we can use that to our advantage."

One of the generals leaned forward, and Kyle noted it was O'Neill. "How would you like to join SG-1 for a mission?" he said.

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico, Tuesday, January 22, 2002, 1:15 p.m. MST

Newly re-elected Sheriff Jim Valenti leaned back in his creaky wooden desk chair and stared at a picture of his son. Around him, boxes of Sheriff Hanson's personal effects waited to be picked up by his family, while Valenti's own effects waited to be unpacked.

The picture was taken Kyle's sophomore year. He had placed varsity even then, and started every game for three years as quarterback. They both knew he was too short to ever play pro, but they hoped it would be enough to get him a scholarship to a good school outside of New Mexico.

Now Kyle was gone, and everything seemed empty.

"Seems nothing," he muttered to himself. The department WAS empty. The small administrative staff of the sheriff's department was still in a state of shock over the deaths of every deputy and the old sheriff. Valenti himself still had difficulty believing it. A small contingent of State officers remained to help, but for the moment Jim was working with a group of concerned citizens who were temporarily deputized until permanent replacements could be found.

It was his idea, and it was going a long way toward healing the damage between him and the city and county resulting from his efforts to protect Max and the others. It was, he knew, his future. The kids were gone—the magic was gone—and now there was nothing else left but to live as best he could and do his job the only way he knew how.

There was a knock on the door. "What is it?" he asked before looking up. He accidentally dropped Kyle's picture, and the frame cracked.

Tess Harding walked around the desk to the stunned sheriff's side, picked the cracked frame up, and with a touch of her finger the crack disappeared. "Did he really die?" she whispered. "Is Kyle really gone?"

Jim pushed his chair back from her and stood. "What are you doing here? I thought you were gone!"

"I came back," Tess said. She looked down at the picture. "He was the closest thing to a brother I ever had. I can't believe he's gone."

"Tess, you need to leave," Valenti said. He knew better than to draw his gun or threaten her.

She stepped back around the desk into the hall, and returned with a stroller. From his angle, Jim could see a meaty hand sticking up. "Have you met Zan?" she asked. She held him up to show a round, baby face with a patch of black hair. "He is the crown prince of Antar. And he was rejected because he is human." Tess sat down then, bowed over the baby, and began to weep.

Tess Harding, aside from being a murderer, was a habitual liar. And because of her powers, she could make people believe her lies as the gospel truth.

Jim knew this. Even so, he felt his heart tugging as she cried. For the better part of a year, Tess lived with him and Kyle after her protector, Nasedo, was killed. The one Christmas they spent together was actually nice—the first they'd had since he and his wife separated.

"Tess, why did you come back?"

She sucked in her sobs and wiped her tears. "Guess where I was yesterday? Mexico, talking to some psychopathic Army colonel with Kivar's super soldiers. He told me all about the crash of some alien ship. And I know about all the dead police. I also know that you left town right before all those police died, with Max, Michael and Isabel. And…that Parker girl. You know what was happening, don't you?"

"That has nothing to do with you."

"You're wrong. Kivar is coming here, Jim. He's coming here to kill all of you. Everyone on Earth. He already has agents all over the place, in all levels of government. He sent me to spy on you, because if I didn't he was going to kill me and the baby."

"Tess, you've told so many lies…"

"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not," Tess said, "because there's nothing any of us can do to stop it. The Antarans are so advanced, Sheriff. They mold life to their whim. They all have powers like Max and I, but there are hundreds of thousands coming in ships that will darken the sky. We're all going to die."

"We?"

She looked up at him her large blue eyes wet. "I produced a useless human heir. I'm essentially human. There's no place for me in the new Antar. Our sun is dying, and there is no place else to go."

She looked down at the baby. "That's why I never leave him," she said. "I want to hold him as long as I can, before the end comes."

Jim Valenti looked back at the table and the picture of his son.


	24. Friends New, Enemies Old

**jfr07**--I wanked the star destroyer's capabilities up a bit on the basis of this being AU. I know it's hard to remember that this story is actually set in the AU established by Gods of Dark and Light, and that's my fault. In bringing it back around to a similar timeline as the Legacy comics, I invited that. But in this AU the Asgard tinkered with the OT era star destroyers, increasing power output and shielding capabilities. The Empire continued that tradition, until the _Pelleaons_ of this AU essentially have four batteries of 2 superlasers each approaching the _Eclipse_ in terms of raw firepower. In terms of raw destructive ability, I think they may actually be equal or possibly even stronger than the Asgard now, however I would still say the Asgard hold a technological advantage in beaming and shielding capabilities.

We see the replicators only in passing. I wanted to keep the attention focused on Earth, so I don't really delve too much into the Asgard/Replicator conflict except as passing mention. I personally never carried for Replicators as a threat, and so didn't use it in thsi story. Just a personal bias, I admit.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Friends New, Enemies Old**

Planet Revanna, Tok'ra Base

Ren Al confused Kyle.

His one and only experience with a conscious symbiote was the Goa'uld Osiris when she attacked the Asgard ship transporting him from his own galaxy, and that creature exuded malevolence and evil.

With Ren Al, he detected two separate and distinct minds, working together in harmony like a team. Neither one attempted to control the other. It came through the Force like a controlled psychosis of multiple personalities.

For her part, Ren Al studied Kyle with a great deal of interest as Lt. Col. Carter introduced the leader of the Tok'Ra to the Jedi Master. "I have heard of you, Master Katarn," Ren Al said. "Whispers of a friend of the Asgard who defeated Osiris."

"That's me," Katarn said. "So you're like a friendly Goa'uld?"

Carter cleared her throat. "They don't like to be compared to the Goa'uld," she said. "It'd be like me calling you a friendly Sith."

Katarn stared, blinked, and then laughed with self-deprecating humor. "My apologies, Ren Al. When explained like that, I realize how insulting that must have been. I meant no disrespect."

"Apology accepted. Please, come with us."

She turned and led Kyle, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c through a series of crystalline caves, until they reached a large room with a wood table in the middle of it. A balding man in his mid fifties sat waiting. As soon as they arrived he stood and smiled. "Sam!" he said, wrapping Carter in a hug. Then he held her back and saw the silver oak leaf on her collar. "Lieutenant Colonel? And where's Jack?"

"It's a long story, Dad," Carter said. "Kyle, this is my father, Jacob Carter. He is also joined with Selmak, a Tok'Ra. Dad, this is Jedi Master Kyle Katarn."

"I bet yours is an interesting story," Katarn said.

"I bet yours is too," Jacob said. "So, want to talk about wiping out the Goa'uld?"

"That's why we're here, Jacob," Daniel said from the other side of Kyle. "We may not want to wipe them out just yet."

They all sat. "We have developed a symbiote poison," Jacob began. "We know about an upcoming Goa'uld summit—we could kill the whole lot of them all at once. It could put an end to thousands of years of civil war and oppression."

Kyle kept his mouth shut for the moment. He didn't know enough about the conflict to pass judgment on using poison to murder one's enemies, although he felt distinctly uncomfortable with the idea.

"Dad, there's more going on than just the Goa'uld, though." She turned to Ren Al. "Thank you for passing information on that alien ship to us. Master Katarn here was able to identify it for us."

The two Tok'Ra turned and waited.

"It appears to be an Imperial star destroyer from my galaxy," Kyle said. "It is a command carrier with a normal contingent of a thousand fighter craft, interdiction fields capable of pulling most ships out of hyperspace, at least ships using similar hyperdrives, and enough fire power to physically crack a planet in half. Having seen ha'taks in a fight with Thor, I have no doubt that one destroyer could take on an entire fleet of System Lords."

Jacob nodded. "I think I see where you're going."

"What happens when the two biggest bullies run into each other?" Daniel asked. "We're hoping we can use the Goa'uld to damage or even destroy the star destroyer. Even if they can't, then they themselves would be severely weakened, eliminating at least one of the threats, and if we're very lucky, possibly both."

"Lord Baal has already engaged this ship, Selmak," Ren Al said to Jacob. "He was forced to retreat after losing most of his escort ships."

"The problem is making sure they actually go up against each other," Carter said. "The Goa'uld are smart enough that they might swallow their pride and side with the destroyer. If that happens, we're all doomed."

"Any ideas on that?" Jacob asked.

"Me," Kyle said. "We get into the summit, I claim to represent the star destroyer, and then I order all of them to surrender to Imperial dominion or they'll be destroyed. And I act as irritating in the process as I can. The question is: can you get me there?"

Jacob nodded. "I think I can. It depends on what kind of mood Lord Yu is in during the summit." He appraised Kyle. "You really think this star destroyer is enough of a threat for us to walk away from the first chance in a thousand years to wipe the Goa'uld out?"

Kyle shrugged. "I've not been a part of your struggle, so I can't say I understand what this means to you. But I can tell you that the Sith are evil for evil's sake. They glory in death, and feed off despair. And that one ship, if not opposed while still damaged, could easily destroy everything you've fought for."

"That means yes," Daniel interpreted.

Jacob smiled thinly. "So I gathered. Okay, let's start getting ready, then. We've got a long couple of days ahead of us."

* * *

Roswell, New Mexico, Tuesday, January 22, 2002, 3:15 p.m. MST

Special Agent in Charge Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully sat down at Sheriff Valenti's conference room table and studied the young woman sitting across from them intently.

Tess Harding continued to hold her baby Zan, bouncing him softly as she told the two FBI agents the whole story behind the Black Oil, the Earth syndicate Kivar formed with human sympathizers, and the pending invasion that was originally scheduled for 2012.

The two FBI agents listened in silence, staring at her intently as they matched up their own unique experiences with the events Tess told them about. Everything from Dallas to Tunguska matched up. Everything.

"These ships Kivar is coming in, what do they look like?" Mulder finally asked when Tess finished.

"They are like giant flying saucers," Tess said. "A mile across, maybe more. I know there was one here at least a few years ago, but for some reason Kivar lost track of it. I never knew why—it happened before I even knew about Kivar."

"We found it," Mulder said. "Scully here was on board the ship, infected with that black oil. I injected her with a weak antidote the Syndicate had developed, and the ship took off after that."

Tess nodded. "I understand. The whole ship would have been infected with the antidote after that, so Kivar probably had it destroyed. The antidote can't harm actual Antarans, but could hurt those beings gestated from humans, or hybridized."

"Agents, you should know something about Tess here," Sheriff Valenti said. "She killed a young man named Alex Whitman who was a good friend to Max and the others. She 'mind warped' him into working for her. She can make you believe anything she wants. Just be aware of that."

"Not for long, at least not them," Tess said. "You've both been altered by the Antarans. I can see it in you. You're both more like me than you are like Sheriff Valenti. You especially, Agent Scully. And your son William."

"How do you know about William?" Mulder demanded.

"Kivar knew about him, so I did. Is he safe?"

"He's safe," Scully said.

Tess nodded and hugged her baby close. "Is Max okay?" she asked.

"Yes. He and the others are fine," Scully said. She pointed to Zan. "Max is the father?"

Tess nodded.

"Tess, can you tell me how many super soldiers and alien hybrids there are, and who they are?"

She looked from one agent to the other. "It won't make any difference if you try to stop them. Kivar is going to kill everyone anyway."

"He'll have to get in line, from what I understand," Mulder said. "Can you tell us?"

"Yes, but only if you let me see Max."

The two agents shared a look. Three hours later, they boarded a plane in Albuquerque for the hour flight to Colorado Springs. When they landed, a shuttle bus was waiting for them with an Air Force driver.

It took nearly another hour to drive from the airport in Colorado Springs to the safe house. When they finally arrived, Tess stared up into the windows of the large house with an expression the FBI agents could only describe as hopeless.

Clutching Zan to her chest, she led the way out of the shuttle bus and started walking up the snowy steps to the house. At the front door, though, she turned and handed her son to Scully. "Would you hold him, please?" she said, her breath puffing in the cold.

"Why?"

"If they try to hurt me, I don't want him in the way," Tess said.

Scully took the child as Tess turned the handle and stepped inside.

Everyone was there. Not just Max, Michael, Isabel, Liz and Maria, but also their parents, and a new girl with bright blue hair. They were all there, as if waiting. As she walked in she saw everyone freeze, some in mid sentence, and stare as if they had seen a ghost.

Suddenly Liz stood, shoved out her hand, and to Tess's utter shock, sent a surge of power that knocked Tess clear off her feet and into the wall behind them. "What is that murdering whore doing here?" Liz Parker demanded as her friends and parents stared in shock.


	25. A Gathering of Gods

No reviews is sad, but at least it makes for a short intro. I know folks are reading from the stats, so at least it's enough to bring you back to the next chapter. So enjoy!

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****Chapter Twenty-Five: A Gathering of Gods**

Goa'uld Space Station, System Lord Space

A host of gods sat in parley. They were the most powerful of the living System Lords following the deaths of Apophis and Cronos at the hands of the Tau'ri. They spoke with the arrogance of ancient beings secure in their power. But they also spoke loudly, like people facing a change for which they were ill prepared.

Like most Goa'uld, they were also known as the ancient gods of Earth, who descended on the cradle of humanity over the centuries to steal human slaves and change them to Jaffa. Their names reverberated not just through space, but through human history. They were:

Bastet, the Eyes of Ra, who before the great Lord Ra's death often served as his enforcer and avenger. Her home was the planet Bubastis, her guard was the Lion guard.

Svarog, among the most powerful of System Lords. His home was the planet Arkona, and his warriors were clad in among the finest armor of any Jaffa, with the sign of the hammer as his token.

Olokun, whose water world housed a palace that extended as far under the water as over. He counted over a million Jaffa as his soldiers, and fifty million total under the four planets of his realm.

Morrigan, who among the Goa'uld was respected for her network of spies. She lived on the planet Sidhe and her Raven Guards numbered half a million.

Kali the Destroyer. Her home world was Dakshineshvara; her forces numbered in the millions. She killed any who oppose her, through brute force or through treachery. She was feared among even the Goa'uld.

Yu was the most ancient of the System Lords, and among the most powerful. His world was Da-luo-tian; his forces numbered in the tens of millions, and all were fanatically loyal. Unlike many of the Goa'uld, Yu was considered even by his enemies as fair and just, stern yet fatherly. Not only did his people follow him, they loved and adored him as their god and ruler. He has lived for thousands of years, and even for a Goa'uld, was old.

Finally, there was Baal. Baal of the Resurrection. Baal the Ruthless. Baal in whose name Carthaginians tossed the bodies of their children into sacrificial fires to hold off the Roman legions. Once killing over 60 million of his own people to prevent Sokar from gaining dominion over them, Baal was the most powerful of the surviving System Lords. His forces numbered in the tens of millions, and those who paid homage to him as their god numbered in the hundreds of millions.

Baal sat in the center seat of the conference, while the other Goa'uld sat in semi-circle around him, discussing the many travails the system lords had recently encountered. Although Baal called the summit to discuss his encounter with the alien ship, he was surprised to learn that many of the other System Lords had been fighting yet another unknown enemy, and that all were losing.

"The ships attacking us are ha'taks," Bastet said when Baal described the vessel he encountered. "I have not heard of the vessel you describe. The shields of our attackers are more powerful than ours, and I have lost many ships and two systems to them. No one knows who they are, or what Lord they fight for."

"Could they be among the rebel Jaffa the Tau'ri have been supporting?" Olokun asked. "My own Jaffa betrayed me and sided with this enemy rather than fight to the death, which was their duty."

"It is not the Tau'ri," Baal said, "although we will deal with them in due time. But I too would know more of who this mysterious attacker is."

A new figure arrived then, clad in sinuous silks and gold. She was a figure of striking beauty, save for the blackened scar circling her right wrist. Her fingers on that hand hung oddly, as if numbed or injured. She wore the hand device of the Goa'uld on her left hand. The System Lords stared at her without recognition as their slaves stood ready to kill the intruder.

"I am Osiris," the new figure said, her eyes taking on a white glow as she spoke.

"Osiris died many thousands of years ago," Lord Yu said. "He was killed by his brother Setesh."

"My brother did not kill me—he sealed me and my mate Isis in stasis jars. Isis did not survive, whereas I was awakened and took this body as my host. But it is I, my brethren. And I come to speak for another who would be heard."

"Another?" Baal asked. He nodded, suddenly understanding. "Our mysterious adversary, I presume."

"Yes. He has fought you all, but wishes truce. He wishes to take his rightful place again by your sides. He is Anubis, returned from his thousand year sleep."

Yu rose to his feet, trembling in outrage. "Anubis was banished for good reason! His crimes were unspeakable! Never will I support his return!"

"I am here on his behalf, and ask only to be heard," Osiris said.

"I wish to hear what the envoy of Anubis has to say," Morrigan said. The others echoed the sentiment. Still trembling with rage, Lord Yu settled back into his seat. As Osiris began her speech imploring the other system lords to allow Anubis to return, the ancient Lord's slave bent low and murmured something to Yu's ear.

"Another wishes to approach this parlay," Yu announced, cutting Osiris off in mid-sentence. The other Goa'uld glared daggers, but stepped aside as another person entered the meeting chamber.

She turned, saw him, and snarled. "You!" she cried, raising her left hand.

The System Lords gasped as Osiris flew from the floor and into the ceiling with unbelievable speed, only to collapse supine back to the floor. Their eyes drifted from her stunned figure to the man who apparently had done it to her. He appeared human, with a closely trimmed beard lined with gray. He wore all black, from a black chestplate of foreign armor, to his black gloves. Only his face was spared the black, though he did have a small line of red and black tattoos across his face.

"Thank you for seeing me," he said calmly.

"Who are you?" Baal demanded. "And how dare you assault a Lord as you did?"

"I dare because you cannot stop me," the newcomer said, his voice dripping contempt. "I am Darth Nihl, Dark Lord of the Sith. I speak for my master, Darth Krayt."

Baal reared back as if struck.

"Ahh," the figure claiming to be Nihl said, "I see you have met him."

"In battle," Baal said.

Nihl snorted. "That was not a battle. He did not even use his main weapons on you. Your ships were destroyed by his secondary defense systems only. In true battle, you would be dead, and your planets shattered. Darth Krayt is the master of the Sith, and his power is limitless. He has entered this galaxy to conquer it. Those who resist die. Those who do not will live as his slaves."

He slowly stared into the angry faces of each Goa'uld present. "Darth Krayt wishes to deliver a message to each of you. If you surrender your forces and grovel on your bellies before him, in front of your people, he will allow each of you to live as his slaves. If you do not, he will rip the worms from your spines and eat you whole. All who oppose the Sith will be destroyed."

"This is preposterous," Baal said, rising to his feet. "We are gods."

The one called Nihl lifted his hand; Baal's hands flew to his throat as the Goa'uld floated half a meter into the air. His face began to turn purple.

"You are a worm to the Sith," Nihl said. "All of you are mere worms. Oppose us, and you will all be ground to dust beneath our heels." He lowered his hands and Baal collapsed to the floor, his eyes flaring white.

"You have my master's message," the stranger named Nihl said. He turned to Osiris as she regained her feet. "How's your hand?"

She stared daggers, but made no attempt to attack. "Lord Anubis will destroy you, and all your kind," she said. "He shall descend on your vessel and your master will grovel at his feet."

"We shall see," the man calling himself Darth Nihl said. "I say your master is a coward who sends servants to do his work. Let his cowardice prove itself to the others."

With that, he turned and walked out. When he was gone, the parlay exploded in angry voices. It was Osiris who stilled everyone's voices. "Now you see, my brothers and sisters, why it is more important than ever to allow my master to rejoin your ranks!"

Darth Nihl returned to the ring room and moments later stood on the small deck of the stolen tel'tak cargo ship. "It smelled in there," Kyle Katarn said as he wiped the red and black paint from his face. "Interesting group of folks," he added.

Jacob Carter/Selmak smiled as the Jedi took the other seat. "We need to get back to Revanna as soon as possible. Do you think you were successful?"

"I don't know," Kyle admitted. "I got them angry enough, that's for certain. Evidently there was something else going on, though. Have you ever heard of Anubis?"

Jacob stared. "Anubis? He was killed a thousand years ago by the other system lords. He must have done something pretty bad when a Goa'uld says his crimes were unspeakable."

"Well, he's back. Osiris was there asking the others to let him back in. Evidently he's been knocking at the door for a while."

"That explains a lot, actually," Jacob said. "Our spies have been telling us for months of battles on the edge of System Lord space between the Goa'uld and an unseen adversary. Now we know who he is."

The flight back to Revanna took several hours. Kyle used the time to meditate. His favored method of meditation was the katas. He was on the third kata when Jacob walked in. "That is an amazing performance," he said in a voice that was not his.

Kyle sensed the switching of personalities even without the need to hear the change in voice. "Selmak, I presume?"

"Yes. I have lived through various hosts for many hundreds of years, Kyle Katarn, and I have never seen a human move like that."

"I am a Jedi," Kyle said. "The Force is my ally."

"Pardon me, but that statement has no meaning for me."

Kyle chuckled. "No, I suppose it wouldn't. The Jedi and Sith of my galaxy are able to harness a naturally occurring energy field and use it to augment speed, strength and to grant other abilities as well. It's what gives a Jedi his strength, and what makes a Sith so dangerous."

"Fascinating," Selmak said. "And can one be taught to use the Force?"

"Only those born Force sensitive can be. If you are not Force sensitive, however, then nothing really can be done. And no, I don't believe either of you are Force sensitive. In fact, none of the Goa'uld or Tok'Ra appear to be. But then, I've only met a handful."

The two men turned when they heard a beeping from the bridge. They returned and took their seats. "We're approaching Revanna, but there's something wrong. I'm receiving a Tok'Ra emergency beacon."

They emerged from hyperspace and saw a Ha'tak in orbit over the planet. It was firing on the surface.

"This is not good," Jacob said.

Suddenly death gliders shot out from the Goa'uld mother ship, heading straight for them. "This is definitely not good," Jacob said. "Strap in."

The tel'tak blew through the fighters, which turned and began firing on the unarmed cargo ship. Jacob evaded the fire as best he could, but it was only a matter of time before they were hit.

The time arrived as they were flying through the upper atmosphere. "Hyperdrive is gone," Jacob announced. "We're losing our engines!"

Another hit, and the cargo ship began plummeting toward the thickly forested surface. They hit hard, blowing a furrow into the ground, but the ship remained relatively intact. As soon as they checked to make sure they weren't injured, the two left the irreparably damaged ship.

"Our best bet is to get to the Stargate," Jacob said.

"It looks like we're not the only ones trying to get there," Kyle said. "I think I sense Colonel Carter over the ridge line there."

"Sam? Thank God. Let's go."

They arrived to find Sam, Daniel and Teal'c guiding a battered group of Tok'Ra through the forest toward the gate.

"Dad!" Sam said as the two hugged. "I was hoping that was you. You got our beacon?"

"Yeah. What happened?"

Beside them, Ren Al, who had a line of blood running down from a gash on her forehead, said, "We were attacked. One of our spies must have been captured and tortured into talking. Our losses have been horrible. If not for Dr. Jackson here, I would be dead as well."

"What's the situation?" Katarn asked.

"There are about a hundred Jaffa guarding the gate," the lieutenant colonel said. "We're down to about a dozen Tok'ra, Teal'c, Daniel, myself and you two."

"A hundred is doable," Katarn announced.

Ren Al and Jacob both turned to stare, but Katarn ignored them. Instead, he looked at Teal'c. "You ready to try out your new toy?"

Teal'c cradled the lightsaber staff protectively in his arm and gave a feral grin. "Indeed," he said.

"Okay, you folks follow us, but stay in the tree line. Teal'c, you too until I get them distracted. You're not quite up to deflecting staff blasts yet."

"I thought you said no Goa'uld was Force sensitive," Jacob said. "That doesn't apply to Jaffa?"

Kyle blinked. "Force sensitive? No, Teal'c's not Force sensitive. He's just really good. Let's go!"

They arrived at the edge of the woods and Kyle looked out at the Jaffa arrayed across the field. "Teal'c, can I ask you a question?" Kyle said.

"Of course, Kyle Katarn."

"Do Jaffa ever take any courses in strategy and tactics?"

"None. It is why, I believe, the Tau'ri have been so effective against the Jaffa and Goa'uld."

"Yeah, they're all idiots," Kyle said. "This is going to be a lot easier than it should be. I'm going to start running through their ranks. I'm going to be going pretty fast, so it should confuse them. As soon as you think it's safe to approach, come on in swinging. We'll get our people out in no time."

"Agreed, Kyle Katarn. May your Force be with you."

Kyle took his hand. "Thank you. And you too." He looked back at Colonel Carter and the rest. "Remember, stay put until they're gone. No use getting any one else killed."

Then he entered the field. Instantly, a hundred staff weapons came to bear on him. Kyle continued walking calmly. "Jaffa, kree!" he called.

"Who are you?" the leader of the soldiers shouted back in Jaffa. For the hundredth time, Kyle thanked Thor for giving him the Language Acquisition Device that allowed him to speak the language.

"I am Darth Nihl, servant of Darth Krayt. And in his name, you are all dead!"

With a burst of Force Speed, Kyle was across the hundred yards separating them and among their ranks almost before the first Jaffa could fire. He never stopped moving, spinning and slicing with his weightless blade through the enemy. Men screamed and fell wherever he passed. He burst through the ranks of the enemy and returned again, slashing to either side. Whenever Jaffa moved fast enough to try and block his path he simply flew over them, slicing down as he did.

With the entire enemy force pre-occupied, Teal'c ran onto the field, his lightsaber cane at the ready. As soon as he was within arm's reach of the first Jaffa, he activated the red Sith blade and began mowing down the enemy.

Ten minutes later, an openly stunned Ren Al and Jacob Carter left the protection of the trees with the rest of their party and walked across the body-strewn field toward the Stargate.

"That was astounding," Jacob said whenhe arrived by Kyle and Teal'c. "The Force allowed you to do this?"

Kyle looked around and nodded. "It was a shame, too. These men were strong and loyal. Stupid, but not necessarily evil. But we couldn't afford to let the System Lords know that I'm working with any of you. It might ruin the illusion of my being an evil Sith Lord."

He turned back and looked at the gate with a deep sigh. "I sincerely hate that thing," he said. "But we might as well get it over with and get out of here."

"Indeed," Teal'c said as he began pushing their address into the dialing device of the gate.


	26. Pawns in a Game

**Katana777**--Thank you.

Well, one review for a past chapter is better than what I've been averaging, so I'm grateful. At least from the hits and stats I know people are reading. I hope you continue to do so and enjoy.

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**Chapter Twenty-Six: Pawns in a Game**

Colorado Springs, CO, Tuesday, January 22, 2002, 9:45 p.m. MST

Liz Parker had not let go of Max Evans' hand since Tess arrived.

Tess tried hard not to stare, but she couldn't help it. This was her Max. Her Zan. This was the man intended by fate and their people to be her husband.

And he was holding hands with a human girl with Antaran powers.

Max was holding his son with his free arm, staring down in fascination at the child he helped created.

"So we're supposed to believe that Kivar is coming here?" Isabel asked for the second time since Tess's arrival.

"Yes. And he's going to make it his highest priority to kill you first, Isabel," Tess said. "He wasn't very happy about your wedding."

"I know, he tried to break it up," Isabel said.

Diane Evans touched Isabel on the shoulder. "Honey?"

"It's a long story," Isabel said. "He possessed a human body and tried to convince me to come back. Evidently we had a history in my previous life."

"Yeah, you helped him betray your husband and brother and get all of you killed," Tess said.

"We got over it," Max said firmly. "You can too. So why are you here?"

"I was sent to spy on you," she admitted, "and to help organize Kivar's agents for the invasion. It's coming soon—in a matter of days. But those agents gave me the creeps. I think they were going to kill Zan and me as well. I escaped and went to Roswell to ask Sheriff Valenti for help. He called the FBI and these two came." She motioned toward Mulder and Scully, who sat on a nearby couch. "I told them I would help them find all the agents, but I wanted…I mean…" She stopped, at a loss for words. "I thought you would want to see your son."

Max looked down at the baby. "And he's completely human?"

"We're half human," Tess said with a wistful shrug. "Two halves made a whole, I suppose."

"Do you think this makes up for killing Alex?" Isabel demanded.

Tess shook her head. "I can't undo that. And I know better than to ask for forgiveness. I just didn't have anywhere else to go. Kivar was going to kill me and Zan unless I came. And in a few weeks, he's going to kill us all anyway."

It was already dark outside, but from the darkness they heard motors. One of the two Air Force handlers on duty stepped outside. "There's something else," Tess added.

Suddenly the night erupted in gunfire. The other handler jumped to his feet and rushed outside as the FBI agents also rose and pulled their weapons. Tess remained where she was. "I had to get them to you, or they were going to kill me," she said, moisture gathering in her eyes. "Whatever you do to me, please don't hurt Zan. It's not his fault."

"There are twenty of them," Siana said, rising to her feet.

For the first time, Tess really looked at the young woman with the startling hair and eyes. "You're the alien who crashed in Roswell," she said. "You're the reason Kivar had to move his plans up."

"Evil always likes to have an excuse," Siana said, "but it is rarely a true reason." She moved to stand by Scully. "They are moving to surround the house. They are those super soldiers we encountered before. Shall I deal with them?"

"They are supersoldiers!" Tess said, rising to her feet. "You don't just deal with them."

Suddenly the front door shattered before two large feet. Two men in three-piece suits wearing thick overcoats stormed in, their guns raised. Instantly Max, Michael, Isabel and Liz raised their hands and unleashed their power.

The two men did not just fly back. They exploded back in a rain of black goo.

"That works too," Siana said admiringly. "Master or not, I'm glad I taught you those focusing exercises."

"They work great," Michael said. "We can cover the front door if you want to sneak out back."

"What do you think you're going to do?" Tess demanded, sounding almost hysterical. "You're just one person. They are armed!"

"So am I," Siana said. She removed the lightsaber that Tess previously thought was some weird avante-garde coin purse, and lit it. The young Antaran hybrid stepped back in shock before the light of the purple blade.

Siana slipped out the back of the house. Twice more, hybrid supersoldiers attempted to storm the front door. With the parents hidden with Scully and Mulder standing by to protect them, and Max, Isabel, Michael and Liz now taking strategic positions around the living room, each attempted entry ended the same as the first, with alien-hybrid super-soldiers dying in a shower of black goo.

Finally they saw a purple glow. "It's Siana, I've taken care of the rest." She stepped into the door and deactivated her light saber. "They were heavily armed, and one of them was carrying a beam weapon." She held out a silver device that looked like a futuristic laser toy from a Target toy aisle.

"I've never seen anything like it," Max said, "but it looks Antaran."

"It's a telegun," Tess said as she collapsed back on the couch. "It focuses your powers even more. To a killing beam. It doesn't need to be recharged or reloaded, and will last as long as you will."

She bowed her head, and then very slowly began to laugh.

The others gathered around her, looking down at her in consternation. She looked up finally, and even as she laughed, tears flowed down her face. "Who would have thought the civil war would ever come to Earth? That I would be a stupid human girl with a stupid human baby with blood on my hands and no friends to go to…." The laughter transformed into great, wracking sobs. "I'm so sorry, Max. I'm so sorry for everything. I just didn't know what else to do. Please don't hurt Zan."

"We're not baby killers," Max said. "Zan is not the one in danger."

"You can't hurt her," Siana said suddenly.

"She murdered our friend!" Isabel declared. "She just led our enemies to us. She doesn't deserve to live."

Siana stepped between them. "You cannot hurt her. I don't pretend to understand your pain, my friends, but you must not hurt her. Search your feelings, you know I'm right. We're going to have to help this world defend itself from Kivar's agents, and you know she will be instrumental in that."

"Then what do you propose we do with her?" Max asked.

Siana knelt down in front of Tess. "I sense great power in you. You could be a force for good, if you only tried. Try now. Help us stop the invasion."

"There's nothing on this earth that can protect you," Tess said, still sobbing.

"I am not of this earth, and my master is even now working to save this planet. Help us here, now. Help us find and destroy these hybrid soldiers. You have the power to do so. Use it."

She looked down at her hands. "Kivar's going to kill us all. You have no idea how powerful he is."

Siana gently rested a hand on Tess's knee. "My master fought a race of gods, Tess. I have no doubt he can fight this Kivar successfully. We will protect you and your son, but only if you work to help us. Will you do that?"

Tess looked past Siana's shoulder at Max, then bowed her head. "I'm not a good person."

"But you can try to be one," Siana said. "That alone may be enough."

Tess wiped her tears and sat straighter. "Okay, just tell me what you want me to do."

"Well, for starters," Mulder said, "how many of these supersoldiers are we talking about?"

"Thousands," Tess confessed.

"And you know them all?"

"Kivar loaded them directly into my head telepathically. I couldn't forget them even if I wanted to."

Mulder looked up at the others. "I've been placed in charge of a taskforce to hunt down and kill these supersoldiers. But I'm going to need help. Any of you interested in a job?"

"You can't be serious!" Phillip Evans said. "They are minors!"

"We can kill them faster and more effectively than anyone else," Max pointed out.

Siana nodded. "Who better to defend Earth against agents of Antar than the former ruling family of Antar?"

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Trafalgar Square, London, England, Wednesday, January 23, 2002, 8:23 a.m. G.M.T.

The man wore a long trenchcoat over a conservatively cut, three-piece pinstripe suit. He walked quickly but not too fast to attract attention, with a briefcase held tightly in his hand. If one were to look closely, one might also notice the handcuffs linking the man to the case.

He looked around his environment quickly every thirty seconds or so, as if to make sure he remained unnoticed. The bustle of the morning rush was such that he merely melded into one of many, many faces making their way across London town.

And yet, somehow, someone noticed. Just as he passed in front of Nelson's column, the man stopped abruptly before two large men with square jaws and dark suits. "Mr. Jacobi?" one asked as he reached into his coat.

Mr. Jacobi gulped. "Yes?"

The left man removed his hand from his coat, and in that hand he held a gun. Jacobi started to back away and stammer when suddenly both the dark men stumbled under the clumsy fall of a thin, energetic young man with an ingenuous smile on his lips. "Pardon me!" he said. "Are you alright? I am so clumsy. I was just trying to tie my shoes. I'm so very sorry."

Suddenly there was a flash of white light, and both men disappeared. It happened so fast, only a few heads turned to stare, and with nothing else to see, they dismissed the light and went on about their business.

The strange man turned back to Mr. Jacobi. "Hello there," he said. "Is that the list of suspected terrorist agents the Americans sent you?"

Jacobi stammered again.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend," he said. "I'm the Doctor. I was told you'd be carrying the list since they didn't want to risk it being intercepted. When I saw one of them take out your shadow, I knew you were in trouble."

"Who are you?" Jacobi demanded.

"I told you, I'm the Doctor. I'm doing a favor for a pair of lady friends who couldn't be here to do it themselves. And now that you're safe, you'd better get that list to your superiors. And tell them to make sure any bullets they use on these agents have magnetite in them. Trust me; they'll be thankful they did."

The Doctor turned, and in moments disappeared back into the crowd.

Jacobi shook his head at the odd man's timely appearance, his cryptic message, and his quick withdrawal, and then continued about his most urgent business. The list of possible terrorist agents that came from the American FBI was the most comprehensive lead they had ever received regarding the recent leaks of classified information.

He would never know just how vital that list was.

Less than ten minutes later, a man of surprisingly but still inconsequentially similar appearance to Mr. Jacobi carried another list chained to his wrist down the streets of Paris toward the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire, the directorate operating as a domestic intelligence agency of France to battle espionage and terrorism.

He was two blocks away from his destination when two men stepped directly in his path. "Monsieur Baptiste?" one asked.

"Oui," Baptiste said.

The speaker pulled out a gun, only to fall forward as a heavy-set black woman with round cheeks and a jovial glint in her eye stumbled. "Pardon me!" she exclaimed in American-accented English. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

The gunman turned to glare, but then saw something in the woman's hand that made him raise his weapon in alarm. But a moment later, the gunman flashed white and was gone. His companion flashed white a split second later, and was also gone.

"Mon Dieu!" Baptiste exclaimed. In English, he said, "What are you, woman?"

"Oh, a friend of a friend," Guinan said. "A couple of friends asked that I make sure that list of yours gets to where it is going. Your guard died two blocks away." She straightened, and in perfect, unaccented French, said, "It has been a pleasure."

By the time the sun rose in America that Wednesday, Special Agent in Charge Fox Mulder received a call from Europe. "This is Roberta Lincoln," the familiar voice said. "Your source must have been right. Supersoldiers moved against every courier in every country you notified. We've taken care of England, France and Germany. Rain lost the courier in Spain, I'm afraid, but was able to save the list and get it to the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia. We had to pull in a couple of favors, but we got it done. Who are you going to contact next?"

Mulder checked his list. "Russia, China, Japan and Australia," he said. "Are you going to have trouble with China?"

"Probably," Roberta said. "Then again, hopefully they'll be smart enough not to send an unarmed courier by foot. Either way, we'll make sure each list gets to where it's supposed to go."

"Thank you. You and Rain have been invaluable. Is Rain still going to be able to help with transportation once we start hitting individual targets?"

"You know it. Just call us the Supergirls. We save the world. That's our job."

And with that, Roberta Lincoln ended the call, and the battle for Earth began.


	27. War Council

tiogasnowwolf--I like to throw a few curve-ball cameos in. The Doctor's role isn't huge, but it was fun having him for that scene. And I've got a lot written, so if you like what you've seen so far there is plenty more to come.

I appreciate the reviews. More would be better, but then again this is a difficult story to place. It's Star Wars in the periphery, but I'm not sure where the best home for it would be. But in the meantime, I'll keep posting away!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: War Council**

White House, Washington, D.C., Wednesday, January 23, 2002, 11:45 a.m. EST

Secretary of State Beatrice Franklin sat in the Oval Office of the White House with William M. Charleston III, President of the United States of America. On the same antique couch with the Secretary sat General Francis Maynard, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, newly appointed commander of Stargate Command.

On the couch opposite Franklin sat Senator Robert Kinsey, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Deputy Director of the FBI, Alvin Kersch, and Deputy Director of the NID, Richard Woolsey.

"And you expect us to believe over five thousand of these alien supersoldiers have been identified from this little girl?" Senator Kinsey said.

O'Neill shrugged. "She put her hand on a computer keyboard, and the names just kind of spilled out. She said the names were programmed into her head by this…Kavar, Caver,..whatever his name was, so she could organize the cells."

"With all due respect, General, the entire story seems far-fetched," Deputy Director Kersch said.

"So does traveling across the galaxy through artificial wormholes," O'Neill said. "You seem to believe that okay."

"Gentlemen," the President said.

President Charleston was a tall, grave man with tri-focal glasses that perched on the end of his Romanesque nose and a well-known red birthmark near his right temple that was regularly lampooned in caricatures. Before becoming a politician, he was a former prosecuting attorney and then corporate attorney. He left the field after making a fortune and dedicated his life to politics.

In short, he was a very smart, very articulate man. "I have read Agents Mulder's and Scully's reports, as well as General O'Neill's. Frankly, the whole situation is hard to believe. But Beatrice met with this alien named Katarn personally, and if she believes it, I believe it. I have already been contacted by our allies and Russia as well, all claiming that these 'supersoldiers' attempted to interfere with the transportation of the lists we distributed to them. In each case, the transfer was protected by one or two mysterious individuals with…what did that fellow in Russia call it?"

"Cowboy ray guns," Franklin supplied helpfully.

The president chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. So, if our people are suffering a mass hallucination, then all the countries we've been in contact with are suffering it as well."

He looked at O'Neill over the rims of his glasses. "General, any idea who these mysterious benefactors are?"

"Yeah, I met a couple of them," O'Neill said. "We think they are agents for a group of Asgard who've been trying to keep us from blowing ourselves up for years. An SGC team member saw their base of operations and spotted an old Asgard computer there, and they appear to have a very old form of Asgard beaming technology."

"You know, I think I may have heard of at least one of them—a woman, if I remember correctly," the President admitted. He was a two term president, having come to office in 1996. "There was something about the theft of some advanced spacecraft and a group of terrorists out of India. Hmmm. So, now we know about these alien agents on the ground, what's the next step?"

"We kill them," General Maynard said. "They are enemy combatants of an alien aggressor species attempting to overthrow and even destroy human civilization. We cannot afford any other action."

"Oh come on!" Kinsey said. "First off, we don't know if a single word of this little girl's story is true, and second, we can't just go around assassinating people without due process. This is not China or Iraq."

"With all due respect, Mr. President," Maynard said, "the senator's assumptions are completely wrong, and if we do not act immediately, we will be lost."

"How dare you!" Kinsey snarled.

"I think I've heard enough," Charleston said, his deep voice reverberating through the room. "Thank you all for your time. Dismissed."

When said like that, there was no room for argument. Glaring at the generals, Kinsey was the first to stalk out. However, the others went far slower. When it was clear that the senator was out completely, the others returned to the Oval Office and the President, who had not moved from the 18th-Century armchair he had been sitting in throughout the meeting.

When the others regained their seats, the President said: "Well?"

It was Richard Woolsey who spoke. "Mr. President, as you know, Senator Kinsey recruited me personally during our attempt to shut down the SGC. However, in the year since we began working together, I have begun to suspect the Senator's motivations. Especially after several of our agents went rogue after meeting with him. I am especially suspicious now."

"The FBI's investigation into the Senator has also been troubling," Kersch added. "We have evidence that he was personal friends with many members of a shadow group known as the Syndicate and the Trust. In fact, it's possible they are the same organization."

"And it appears from Agent Mulder's reports that the Syndicate is the group that the Antaran sleeper agents recruited to assist in the invasion of Earth," Charleston finished.

"Yes, Mr. President."

O'Neill cleared his throat. "I'm not sure how to broach this, Mr. President, but the alien Secretary Franklin spoke with is capable of detecting lies."

"You mean this Katarn fellow?"

"Yes, sir. He's just returned from an off world mission to attempt to prevent an invasion from another alien threat."

The president leaned back in his chair. "So let me get this right. We have a total of three alien species intent on conquering earth. We have the Goa'uld, these Antarans we just found out about, and now these creatures from Katarn's galaxy?"

"That is correct, Mr. President," O'Neill said.

"Are there any aliens that don't want to kill us all?"

"The Asgard. And the Nox aren't really interested in violence at all."

The President shook his head with a wry smile. "Sometimes I begin to understand Kinsey's stated concerns. The Stargate really has opened a Pandora's box, and we're not equipped to deal with the consequences."

Into the silence, General Maynard cleared his throat. "Mr. President, Madam Secretary, I know this discussion has taken place before, but based on current events, I think we should revisit the idea of disclosing the Stargate program to other world governments, especially in light of the number of alien agents over the world."

"I have opposed this in the past, Mr. President," Beatrice Franklin said, "but I believe now General Maynard is right. We can't keep a lid on something of this magnitude. We need to let the other world governments know."

"Are we talking full disclosure to the general public?" O'Neill asked.

"No," Charleston said. "Not yet. But I think perhaps we should have a meeting. Bea, please put in the calls. I think for now we need to stick with Britain, France, China and Russia. Russia already knows, but it will be good to have them there."

"Germany?"

"Not quite yet. The existing government is about to be voted out of office. Let's see how it settles before we bring them into the game."

"And Senator Kinsey, Mr. President?" Deputy Director Kersch asked.

The president looked around at his staff. "If you get hard evidence, then I'll order whatever actions are necessary."

* * *

Star Destroyer _Dragon's Claw, _System Lord Space 

Darth Krayt sat in meditation, his eyes closed and his armor off. His inner sanctum was secured from any intrusion save that of Darth Wyyrlok himself, and even then such an intrusion would have been dangerous.

Meditation was becoming harder for the Sith Lord. He thought back over the century plus of his life, and all the steps he took to prolong it. From stasis fields to Sith alchemy, Krayt had long outlasted his normal lifespan. Those that once called him friend and brother were long since dust, leaving only those who cursed his name and feared his strength.

He felt his servants approach and with the Force summoned his armor to him. It was vonduun crab armor taken from a defeated Vong warmaster and modified by the Force and his own mastery of bioengineering to suit his needs. Aside from resisting blasters, the armor also had the unique property of being resistant to lightsabers, while at the same time being lighter and more durable that any cortosis-based armor.

By the time Darth Wyyrlok entered, Krayt stood fully dressed. "News, my master," the Chagrian Sith said, bowing deeply.

"Speak, my friend."

"Hyperdrive is still only at ten percent, but the main guns are fully operational," he said. "We also regained use of our long-range sensing suite. We were able to detect a lingering trail of Cronau radiation 84 light years away. Long range telemetry shows a habitable planet with a primitive indigenous human population and no space travel to speak of. Some of the alien prisoners we captured refer to this species as the Tau'ri."

"Make best speed, then," Krayt said.

"Yes, my master."

Once more alone, Krayt turned to face the window of his quarters. Out there, somewhere, was the answer. He intended to harness the power of the Force to prolong his life forever. But he needed the knowledge soon—and Kyle Katarn, who was even older than he was, knew the answer.


	28. Disclosure

**jfr07**--You're right that Krayt's going to be disappointed in Kyle. But he will be quite interested in Goa'uld sarcophagi. He's also actually going to have a lot more to handle than he expected.

**Voration**--Thanks. In the AU of this story, all Humans were supposed to have evolved from a small group of Antarans whoc rash-landed on Coruscant. This was the Epilogue of my story Gods of Dark and Light. That said, I was really off with the date I used. I should have placed the Epilogue much, much earlier. But that's what I intended. Hence Kyle Katarn and Siana are actually direct descendents of the Ancients, much as the humans in the Pegasus galaxy are.

**Snowfur**--Actually, he's just been cheating time using the time-dilation effect of relativistic speed. However, Krayt doesn't know that. All he knows is that somehow Kyle's been around for a century longer than he should have. Just like jfr07 said, Krayt will be a bit disappointed.

Jfr07's comments bring up a very good point, and I'll reiterate it again later. _Heaven Falls_ was written BEFORE the final identity of Darth Krayt was revealed. And so this story is also AU in the sense that Krayt is not the same person as is in canon. I could have gone back and tried to fix it retroactively, but I felt there were benefits with the rest of the story to let it remain different. So for my few and favored readers, just be aware of that difference.

Thank you for the reviews, and for reading!

**

* * *

****Chapter Twenty-Eight: Disclosure**

Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Thursday, January 24, 2002, 10:00 a.m. EST

The ambassadors of China, France, Russia, and Great Britain took their seats at the circular table in the basement briefing room of the Pentagon. All wore their VIP visitor badges.

General Jack O'Neill stepped into the room with Secretary of State Beatrice Franklin. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice," the secretary said. "I have with me Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, who has come to discuss an ongoing United States program that may have an impact on your respective nations."

"You have no idea," Russian Colonel Chekov said.

"Chekov," O'Neill said, half in warning, half in irritation.

The Russian colonel grinned.

"General, you may begin," Franklin said.

"Thank you, Madam Secretary," O'Neill said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a day ago each of your countries received a list of possible terrorist agents whom the United States believed were working to destabilize the political structure of the entire world. We here in the U.S. have identified over a thousand such agents, and we are, as we speak, hunting them down."

"How did you come about this list?" the Ambassador to Great Britain asked.

"The answer to that question is in large part why we asked you all here today. These agents, ladies and gentlemen, are genetically engineered human-alien hybrids acting on behalf of an extra-terrestrial invasion force which we believe may be en route to Earth even as we speak. And the reason we know about it is because the United States Air Force has been sending personnel to other worlds throughout the galaxy by means of a system of gates that create artificial wormholes all across the galaxy. It was through this gate, and also from an alien crash, that we became aware of the full extent of the threat to our planet."

France coughed. "This joke is in very poor taste," the ambassador said.

"If only it were a joke," Colonel Chekov said. "Russia has known about the U.S. Stargate program for some time. Let me assure you, it is no joke. And we also have recently found out about the agents in our country, and that is no joke as well. Our world is under attack."

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" Agent John Doggett asked.

Michael Guerin shrugged and ran a hand over his new, close-cropped haircut. He did not like it, but if he was going to start playing the part of the good guy, he had to look the part. Or so Agent Doggett insisted. Personally, Michael thought Doggett was biased when it came to short hair.

They were on board the _U.S.S. Enterprise_ (CVN65), currently docked in Norfolk Naval shipyard for a one-year extended refit. According to the master list Tess gave them, there were at least three of the hybrid supersoldiers aboard.

Behind Agent Doggett came Special Agents Leroy Gibbs and Tony DiNozzo of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as well as two marines.

"Why is the kid along again?" Gibbs demanded for the third time.

"Special weapons expert," Doggett lied, supplying the cover story behind Michael and the silver weapon he carried. "These men have been dosed with a special drug that makes them seem almost impervious to traditional weapons fire. Agent Guerin has received special weapons training to specifically counteract this effect."

Behind them, Agent DiNozzo snorted.

They entered the engineering section of the _Enterprise_, which was the first of America's nuclear-powered carriers. At over forty years old, the ship still hummed with power and lethal vitality.

They maneuvered through the maze of twisting pipes and corridors, until they arrived at the main reactor of the ship. There they found Chief Warrant Officer Walter Garrant and Petty Officers Donald Parlor and James Hasslebeck standing together talking.

All three turned as the FBI and NCIS agents emerged with the marines and Michael Guerin behind them. They showed mild alarm at the agents, but when their eyes focused on Michael, all three attacked.

One of the marines who stepped forward grunted as Petty Officer Parlor snapped his neck with a single chop of his hand and relieved him of his assault rifle. Doggett was already firing before the other two got close. When Agents Gibbs and DiNozzi saw that neither the Chief Warrant Officer nor Petty Officers were going down, they also opened fire.

Michael lifted the silver "ray-gun", focused, and released a burst of power not directly at the attackers, but at the Antaran weapon. The silver seemed to absorb the power of his mind, augment it, and then spit it out in a tight beam of white light that ripped through Parlor and sent the man flying in pieces back against the reactor.

The other two hybrids, bleeding black ooze from a dozen gunshot wounds, tried their best to wade through the agents to Guerin, but not before he was able to shoot them as well.

Into the stunned silence that followed, Michael said, "I like this thing!"

* * *

"These Goa'uld tried to invade us in 1998?" the Chinese Ambassador said. She glanced around the table inquiringly. "We were told that was a meteor shower!"

"We lied," O'Neill said with a shrug. "So, now we know about the Goa'uld. They're out there, and they don't like us. But some things happened just recently that have changed everything."

"You are referring to that UFO crash last week, are you not?" the British ambassador said.

"We are. You see, it turns out that there are humans everywhere, not just in our galaxy, but in other galaxies as well. And one of those humans from another galaxy happened to crash on our planet last Thursday night and things just kind of went nuts after that."

* * *

Siana held the hilt of her lightsaber at the ready while Isabel took a deep breath beside her. Around them, rain poured down the massive trees surrounding Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Beside the two young ladies, Special Agent Dana Scully knelt in the wet mulch of the wooded grove and looked at the road with her binoculars. Just as their sources at the Nuclear Labs and Department of Energy had said, Dr. Sumpta Azago stopped her car along the edge of the grove. A moment later, a black SUV pulled up bumper-to-bumper with the nuclear physicist's car and two hybrid supersoldiers stepped out.

"Remember, I'll arrest Azago," Scully reminded them. "You take care of the supersoldiers.

"Of course, Agent Scully," Siana said.

With that, the Jedi Padawan exploded from the tree line in a Force-driven leap that took her across the twenty feet to the road, where she landed just on the other side of the hybrids and Dr. Azago.

"What is the meaning of this?" the physicist demanded.

Ignoring the woman, Siana Force-pushed one of the two hybrids off the road toward Isabel, and then lit her saber. Azago watched in horror as the lone hybrid on the road fell to the ground in pieces and then seemed almost to melt into black goo. She turned as two more women stepped from the trees. The other hybrid lay on the grass, his chest blackened. The younger of the two lowered her hand while the red-head continued up the side of the road.

She flashed her badge. "Dr. Azago, I am Special Agent Dana Scully of the FBI. You are under arrest for treason and espionage. You have the right to remain silent…"

Siana stepped down the road to Isabel. "Are you okay?"

Isabel nodded. "It seems to be getting easier to kill them. Is that bad?"

"Taking life, even life as twisted as theirs, is never easy," Siana said. "But that said, it has to be done for the sake of your home. And your strength is never something to fear." She gave Isabel a hug and watched as Scully called in the support team that had been on standby.

* * *

The Chinese ambassador had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. "And so these supersoldiers are working with elements of our own governments?"

"That's right," O'Neill said. "Our information showed that the original date of invasion was 2012. But when this UFO crashed, one of the occupants killed a hybrid supersoldier, which sent the Antaran syndicate here nuts. There were two people aboard the UFO, one good, one bad. The Antaran agents tried to recruit the bad one to kill the good one. That didn't work, and all the Antaran agents involved were killed. And so the Antaran fleet is supposedly en route."

"When will we see them?" the French ambassador asked. "Like your movie, what is it, 'Independence Day'? When will our satellites see them?"

"The Antarans, like the Goa'uld and Sith, have a faster-than-light method of travel. In all likelihood, they are just going to pop out of nowhere right on top of us. There will be no advanced warning. We won't see them until they start shooting at us."

"Then why bother trying to stop their agents on Earth?" Colonel Chekov demanded. "Even with magnetite in the bullets, it still takes an entire magazine to bring one of these monstrosities down."

"Because the Antarans want the planet intact," O'Neill said. "We're hoping that means they won't do anything to blow up the whole planet. If they are going to engage in ground combat, then we are better off with them NOT having agents already in place."

* * *

Mulder, Max and Liz walked into the Sandia National Laboratories wearing FBI jackets to ward off the winter chill. Behind them walked ten Department of Energy special agents. The receptionist stood to intercept them when one of the DOE agents held up a piece of paper.

"This is a raid, Ma'am," the DOE agent in charge said. "Remain at your seat and make no calls." One of the DOE men stayed in the lobby to ensure the orders were obeyed.

They walked through the halls of the installation to the shocked expressions of the researchers and scientists working there, until they arrived at one of the many lab rooms. Inside were three hybrids in lab coats. They were setting the timer on a bomb against what appeared to be a small reactor.

"Freeze!" Mulder cried. The hybrids ignored them and continued working on their bomb.

"You can't shoot in there!" a researcher said, running up the hall. "That's the coolant for the reactor. If you breach it, it'll kill us all!"

Max and Liz shared a look and stepped forward. One of the hybrids saw Max, muttered a curse, and lunged just as Max and Liz held hands and raised their free hands up. The hybrid stopped mid-step and then exploded into black goo. The two turned their attention to the second hybrid and killed him as well. They turned to the third, who was grinning. "Too late," he said just before dying.

Mulder ran forward to examine the goo-covered bomb. He turned back to Max. "Ten seconds!"

Max rushed forward, pulled the bomb off the side of the reactor—it had been secured with double-sided tape, Max noted with grim humor—and threw it into a corner of the room.

"Everyone out!" Mulder cried. Then, with Liz at his side, Mulder crouched down behind Max. The bomb went off just as a field of blue energy burst from Max's hand. Fire flashed around them and through the corner of the room that led into the hallway and administrative rooms beyond. Behind Max, Mulder and Liz watched as fire flashed around the coolant chamber, but never against it.

A minute later, the fire ended. Max swayed, but they caught him before he fell. "That was hard," he muttered. They looked up and saw that the entire corner of the room, the hall behind, and the entire other side of the building leading to the exterior, was gone.

"You did it, Max," Liz said as she leaned over to kiss him. "You saved the whole city."

"Yay for me," Max smiled up at her. "Will you marry me?"

"In three weeks, loverboy," Liz said, kissing him again.

* * *

"So, that's what's going on," O'Neill finished. "We are telling you now because of the threat of impending invasion, and the need to coordinate our efforts in tracking down the agents. We do have a small group of specialists who are uniquely qualified to hunt down and deal with these hybrid aliens, but with five thousand possible aliens spread all over the world, every country represented in this room is going to have to make an effort if we as a species are going to survive."

China shook her head. "General, Madam Secretary, with all due respect, all we have heard today are words. For something with the magnitude you describe, my government will need more than mere words."

Just then, as if on a prearranged schedule, the room glowed before a flash of bright white light. When the light faded, those around the table gasped at the sight of a thin gray alien with a bulging head and huge black eyes.

"General O'Neill, I have grave news," Thor said. "We have located the Antaran fleet, and they are coming as we speak."

The Asgard turned and looked at the ambassadors. "I see you have finally informed them of the Stargate. Although the Asgard try not to instruct others how to govern themselves, it is about time."

"Ehh, I don't do politics well," O'Neill said. "So, with the Antarans, how much time do we have?"

"They will be here in thirty-six hours. But there is more."

"What?"

"We believe the Imperial-Sith ship has also determined your location and is en route."

"Could it get any worse?"

"Yes."

"_Yes_?"

"Anubis, the most powerful Goa'uld, has joined forces with the System Lords to assemble the largest fleet in Goa'uld history, and they are also coming to Earth."

"Why now?"

"I told them you had a super weapon of the Ancients here."

"What?" O'Neill blinked. "Thor, why did you do that?"

"It was my hope Anubis and the Antarans would destroy each other over your planet since both are similarly armed. However, we did not anticipate the Imperial ship entering this galaxy. It was a tactical error, I am afraid."

"Can you do anything to help?"

"I did," Thor said, blinking. "I am telling you now."


	29. Battlefield Earth

**Snowfur**--Without sound too immodest, it's going to be somewhat large. ;)

**ancient lantean**--He's going to be involved a little more than in the Stargate version. Gotta like th Asgard.

Thank you both for the reviews and for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Battlefield Earth**

Cheyenne Mountain, CO, Stargate Command, Thursday, January 24, 2002, 4:05 p.m. MST

Lieutenant Colonel Carter stared down into her coffee in silence while the rest of the table absorbed the news. Teal'c and Daniel sat on either side of her, while Ren Al and her father Jacob sat at the end of the table.

Across from Carter sat Kyle Katarn and Thor, while O'Neill sat at the head of the table.

"We're so screwed," Daniel summed up.

"Indeed," Teal'c said.

"Maybe not," Kyle pointed out. "Thor's idea wasn't a bad one, not really. We can't defeat any of these groups by ourselves. But they all want the same thing. They're bound to fight it out."

"The only unknowns are the Antarans," O'Neill said. "Never heard of them before last week, never seen one, don't know what they think like. Any ideas?"

"The Asgard are familiar with the Antaran race," Thor admitted. "We are related, in fact, though many hundreds of thousands of years separate our races. When our race encountered the Ancients, who at that time were still corporeal and known as Alterans, we looked upon ourselves and realized how far we had to go. There was a split between those wishing to advance ourselves through technology, and those who wished to advance themselves through biology. In time, the split became so divergent we became separate species. The Asgard you know today have remained relatively unchanged for many thousands of years and have become essentially immortal and stagnant. The Antarans, however, while not technologically as advanced, have advanced physically far beyond us. They are the closest to Jedi this galaxy has. They are, to put in terms you may understand, pre-ascended beings on the verge of moving beyond our plane of existence, with all of the powers and abilities that implies."

"And yet they are still conquerors?" Daniel asked, thinking of his own brushes with Ascended beings.

"Their passion runs deep," Thor said. "That was another area of divergence between our peoples."

"So what do we do?" O'Neill asked.

"You could attempt to locate an Alteran weapons platform," Thor suggested.

All of them turned to stare. "And how would we do that?" O'Neill asked.

"When you accessed a repository of the Ancients, you had the information in your mind. One of you simply needs to access one of the other repositories."

Daniel suddenly turned red. "You mean there are more of those things?"

"There are three worlds I know of that may contain the information you need. I will gladly give you that information."

"Okay, so what if we find this weapon?" Katarn asked. "Is it, by itself, enough to destroy three fleets?"

"I do not know, Master Katarn," Thor admitted. "However, it is the best chance Earth has to defend itself in the event the three fleets do not fight, or one is a clear winner over the others."

"What's the clock say?" O'Neill asked.

"Twenty-nine hours, General O'Neill," Thor said.

"Okay. We'd like those addresses. Colonel Carter, prep SG-1. Master Katarn, would you like to accompany them?"

Kyle shrugged. "Why not?"

"All SG teams will be assigned to locating a repository of the ancients.**"**

* * *

Moscow, Russia, Friday, January 25, 2002, 2:10 a.m. Russian Central Time (Thurs. Jan 24, 4:10 p.m. MST)

Green plasma faded away, and Max, Liz, Michael, Isabel, Siana and Rain Robinson stared out over the cathedral of St. Petersburg. The first thing they noticed was the intense, overwhelming cold.

The next thing they noticed as they stepped out of the copse of trees that served as their cover was the large squad of armed Russian soldiers waiting for them. "You are the American counter-alien team, yes?" the leader of the squad said in Russian.

"You are Colonel Chekov?" Rain asked in English.

"Yes," he said in the same language. He looked at the rest. "These are children. And you are not dressed for a Russian winter."

"We noticed," Max said, shivering.

"They are very good at what they do," Rain said. "But we could use some coats."

"Very well. This way, and hurry!" Coats were handed to them as they rushed across an open square to a very large building with domed spires rising from its center, and very high, red walls surrounding it.

"Is that really the Kremlin?" Michael asked in awe.

"Are you really alien hunters?" Colonel Chekov snapped back. Then he shook his head. "Forgive me; I have been traveling non-stop for days." They entered a multitude of checkpoints until finally they stopped in a large hallway lined with priceless pieces of art and antique armament, with a high-vaulted ceiling overhead.

"This is the situation. Ten suspected agents on your list overcame the presidential guard and took the president and first lady hostage. This happened an hour ago. They have made no demands so far, but we have detected a possible bomb with them. They may be planning an assassination, or perhaps even worse. So far, we have managed to keep the situation contained—no one but my immediate commanding officer is aware of the full situation. It was on his authority that you were invited to come here. But I must stress this—you are guests of Russia. For the sake of all of us, no harm must come to the President."

Rain nodded. "Colonel, you should know that of the six of us, I am the only true human born on Earth. That fact must not leave this building."

Chekov studied each of the kids, lingering a moment on Siana's beautiful blue hair. "Yes, it will remain in strict confidence."

"That means that these soldiers need to leave. Only you should remain to supervise."

Chekov appeared to consider it, and then nodded. "Very well." He turned to his men and dismissed them. The men appeared uncomfortable, but shuffled out of the hall. The colonel himself led them the remainder of the way, until they came to a large double door crafted from a heavy wood plaited in gold. More soldiers waited there, and again Chekov dismissed them.

"They are behind this door," Chekov said. "Do whatever you must to save our president."

Siana held a hand to the door and closed her eyes. "I sense them," she whispered. "The president and first lady are in their bedroom with three of the soldiers guarding them. The other seven are behind these doors working on a weapon." She leaned back. "My danger sense is flaring. That weapon is not just meant to kill the people in that room. I think it may be nuclear."

Chekov closed his eyes and muttered a prayer. "It is as I feared," he said at last. "We must move soon."

"Is there a back way to the bedroom?" Rain asked.

"This is Russia. There is a back way to everything," Chekov said.

Rain looked at the others. "I'm thinking we split up. Siana, you go with the colonel to save the president. The rest will stay with me. I'll blow the doors and we go in blasting."

Chekov turned to Siana. "You will destroy three of these soldiers by yourself?"

Siana smiled. "The Force is with me."

"In Russia, the Force is called vodka, but it does not kill the enemy."

"We don't have much time," Rain pointed out.

"Okay, okay," Chekov said.

He led Siana back the way they came, then into a narrow service passage that twisted and turned until they arrived at what appeared to be a narrow panel in the wall. Beyond it, Siana could sense the hostages.

"The door is locked," Chekov said. "The serving staff was murdered, and so we do not know where the key is."

Siana held a hand over the panel and felt with the Force for the locking mechanism. It was a primitive, mechanical device which, with a twist, came free. The panel swung out into the hall.

"Impressive," Chekov nodded. "What other tricks can you do, little blue girl?"

"Come on and I'll show you," Siana said.

She led the Russian colonel into the narrow passageway and stopped before another panel. On the other side of the panel she could sense their targets.

She turned and very quietly whispered, "When I go, please stay here until it is over."

"Do you need to contact the others?"

"I'm in contact with Isabel and Max right now. They'll know when to attack." She turned back to the panel. "Be at peace, Padawan," she whispered to herself in Basic.

Then, raising her hand, she pushed against the door with all the power of the Force. The door shattered into a rain of wood splinters. At exactly that same moment, the front doors to the presidential suite exploded under the power of Rain Robinson's servo. Max, Liz, Michael and Isabel rushed in with their powers flaring just as Siana flew into the presidential bedroom with her lightsaber lit. The three supersoldiers barely had time to bring their assault rifles to bear as Siana cut the first down, Force-pushed the second, and Force-pulled the third's weapon away from him.

She had the third man down and turned on the second as she heard and felt a cry of pain from Liz. She could not afford to hesitate, though, and quickly cut the second man down before sprinting into the main suite.

She found Max shielding the rest from gunfire while holding Liz in his arms. Michael was using his telegun to great effect and already had five of the hybrids down. Siana force pushed the two remaining agents away from the bomb, where Michael and Isabel finished them off.

Then Siana was there by Liz. "It's not that bad," Max said as he cradled her.

"Easy for you to say," Liz muttered with her eyes closed. "It's not your leg."

Max kissed Liz as he put a hand on her thigh and healed the bullet wound. Only then did they turn their attention to the nuclear bomb, and the digital figures counting down. Chekov rushed inside then, saw the countdown, and blanched. "It is going to explode in less than a minute!"

"Let's send it to the moon, then," Rain Robinson said. She started manipulating her silver pen, and a green plasma appeared around the nuclear device. A moment later, it was gone. "There, now everything's right as rain."

Just then, the Russian President and his wife stumbled into the suite. "Who are you people?" he demanded in Russian.

"Mr. President, these are friends," Colonel Chekov said. "They are with the American Stargate program and agreed to help us since your abductors were those on the list we discussed this morning."

The President nodded and walked past Chekov to where Siana stood. "You saved our lives," he said in heavily accented but understandable English.

"It is my most sacred duty to save lives where I can," she said. "A terrible danger is coming to this planet, and we must all work together if we are to survive."

"Yes, I see that," the President said. He leaned forward and kissed Siana on both cheeks. "For saving my life, and the life of my wife, I give you my deepest gratitude." He leaned back. "And for saving the city, however you did it, you have my undying loyalty. Thank you all."

"It's what we do," Rain said with an infectious grin. Her servo suddenly beeped. She put it to her ear, and nodded. "Looks like they've tried the same thing in China. I don't suppose you have a contact there we could work with?"

"I might indeed," the Russian president said.


	30. The Lost City, Part 1

**Snowfur**--I think the beaming tech had a range within the circumferance of the moon's orbit, so it was that or deepspace, and they were worried about the EMP. I'm glad the Vodka line worked for you. I've always liked Chekov in Stargate. They managed to give the Russians more personality and humor than many shows of similar ilk.

Well, we do parallel some of the SG-1 story line, but with the addition of a Jedi Master in the mix. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty: Lost City, Part 1**

Cheyenne Mountain, CO, Stargate Command, Thursday, January 24, 2002, 4:35 p.m. MST

SG-1, 3 and 5 gathered at the foot of the Stargate while General O'Neill calmly sipped a cup of coffee behind them.

"Okay, people, you have a go," the general said. "And remember, if you see something interesting in the wall, DO NOT STICK YOUR FACE IN IT. It will give you a headache and then kill you!"

The gate activated, Kyle Katarn took a deep breath to brace himself, and the three teams stepped onto another world.

Kyle felt a small touch of pride that he did not throw up as he came out from the other side of the gate. However, it still took him a few moments to recover. Within easy sight of the gate he saw a massive humanoid figure seated in what looked like a throne, rising at least a hundred meters into the sky. The head was missing, but it was still an impressive piece of sculpture.

"That's it?" he asked.

Carter nodded. "Reynolds, set up defense perimeters as you see fit. Hold the gate till we get back."

Major Reynolds nodded. "You got it, Sir."

"SG1 move out." She smiled suddenly. "You know, I kind of like saying that."

"You do it well, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said with a nod.

Kyle ignored the banter and found himself staring at the massive structure. The building thrummed with power in the Force, and he knew that even to the Ancients, this must have been a holy place. He reached out through the Force and thought he could feel just the hint of consciousness beyond his own, but it was merely a hint and lasted only a second. If he were not Jedi, he would question whether it happened or not.

As soon as they arrived, Daniel started investigating the wall. "So, tell me about this repository," Kyle said. "What did General O'Neill mean before we left?"

"A couple of years ago we encountered another repository," Carter explained as Daniel continued his research into the writings on the wall. "It downloaded all the knowledge of the ancients directly into Jack's head. But his brain wasn't really meant to handle that much information and it started to overwhelm him. It was on the verge of killing him when he used that knowledge to contact the Asgard. They removed the database from his brain and saved his life."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, the Asgard are good at last minute saves." Ignoring Daniel, he held his hand against the wall, feeling through the Force where other hands had once touched. The builders of this structure were his direct ancestors, he knew. Standing there, facing something made by his ancestors called to him in a way he had never felt before.

Allowing that feeling to guide him, he touched a spot on the wall, and suddenly the wall warped and projected what looked like a viewer.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Daniel demanded.

"The Force guided me. So how does it work?"

"It's lethal," Daniel warned.

"But how does it work?"

"You put your eyes against it, and it downloads everything through your optic nerves."

Suddenly Carter's radio erupted just as they heard a distant whine in the air. "SG-1, we have incoming!" Major Reynolds warned.

Just then the death gliders came in view and began firing. "That's not good," Katarn noted. "Those are Goa'uld ships?"

"Indeed," Teal'c said.

"How'd they find us so fast?" Carter asked. "If it weren't for Thor, we would never have even known about this place. It wasn't scheduled for exploration for another year or so."

"Maybe this Anubis character knows something we don't," Kyle said. "It doesn't matter. Dr. Jackson, how are we going to get that machine out of the wall?"

"I have no idea," Daniel admitted.

Kyle raised his hands just as the ground outside the colonnade began to erupt under fire. "I sense a mechanism behind the wall, but it is way too big to fit through the gate. It practically takes up the whole building."

Jackson looked out at the swarming fighters, and noticed several al'kesh bombers over the actual gate. "There's just one thing to do," he said.

He turned to the device, but stopped when caught by the iron grip of Kyle Katarn. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Dr. Jackson, but aren't you the foremost expert on the Ancients? Including their language?"

"Yes."

"Then doesn't it seem you're the last person your world can afford to sacrifice?"

"Then what do you suggest?"

Kyle shrugged. "This is happening because the Jedi are on Earth. And the human Jedi, according to Thor, are the direct descendents of the Ancients. If anyone should do it, it's me."

With that, Kyle turned, put his eyes to the viewer, allowed the ancient device to wrap itself around his head, and then fell into a cascade of light that grew and grew until it became a solid white glow.

From the midst of that glow, a lone figure emerged wearing the traditional brown robes of a Jedi. His hair was blond; his face young and full and round, as when Kyle first met him.

"Luke," Kyle said. "Did I fail? Am I dead?"

"No, my friend," Luke said with a gentle, loving smile. "The information you are taking in is too much even for a Jedi to comprehend all at once, so your mind has sought refuge in the Force. Although you will weather the effects much better than any of the Terrans would have, you will find yourself incapacitated for a time. Even so, you astound me once more, and make me proud of your willingness to sacrifice. My father was right. What an incredible Jedi you have become."

Kyle bowed in respect. "Luke, why are we here?"

"The Force compels us both," Luke said. "There is a reason you and Siana found Earth. Think of the infinitesimal odds of her ship taking her to Earth, of all places. Think of the infinitesimal odds of you finding the Asgard so easily. The Force was guiding you both to Earth. What was supposed to be can no longer happen. And so a new future must be created if anything is to be saved."

"I don't understand."

"The future of the Planet Earth was changed one hundred and thirty years ago, when through an accident of fate the Ori discovered our galaxy. They were never supposed to come to our galaxy, Kyle. They were never supposed to try to expand so early. Now they know the Alterans traveled among many galaxies and left descendents in their path. Now they know that the Jedi exist, and they fear and hate us. They were watching Ossus, Kyle. They saw everything."

Kyle felt his heart turn suddenly cold. "They saw Siana."

"And they saw you, and the Asgard. And because of you, they have found Earth, the birthplace of all humanity through the twenty-eight galaxies of the known universe. And they look upon it with dreadful hunger, my friend."

Kyle was not a fearful man, but in that moment he felt a deep, primordial terror. The Ori brought back so many memories of things too terrible to discuss. "Luke, these Earthlings are tens of thousands of years behind us. How can they hope to defeat the Ori?"

"You will find a way, my friend," Luke said. His form began to fade. "You carry now all the knowledge of the Ancients. Use it well. And pass on what you have learned to the new Jedi of Earth."

Suddenly the light ended, the world spun, and Kyle found himself falling back into the waiting arms of Colonel Carter and Dr. Jackson. "What's happening?" Kyle said.

"It must have downloaded," Jackson said. "We've already set explosives to destroy this place before the Goa'uld arrive. We've got to go!"

They sprinted across the field with Kyle stumbling between them. Teal'c paused long enough to turn and activate the remote detonator. The entire base of the colonnade exploded, destroying the supports of the massive statue. The whole statute imploded in a cloud of white dust.

In the dizzy, frenzied rush, Kyle felt a moment of profound sorrow that another structure of the Ancients fell. It seems almost criminal.

Then they were at the gate, and once more Kyle felt as if his head were being ripped apart. Just as quickly, though, they emerged back in the gate room. O'Neill meandered back in, still sipping his coffee. "That was quick. You guys weren't even gone an hour."

"We were attacked," Carter said. "Somehow the Goa'uld discovered we were there."

O'Neill nodded, but was looking at Katarn. "You did it, didn't you?"

"Yes," Katarn said, straightening as the worst of the dizziness began to fade.

"I'd probably have done the same thing."

"I know."

"Any strange words pop into your head yet?"

"You mean stranger than English?"

"Yeah."

Kyle closed his eyes. "I sense the data in there. It's already beginning to hurt."

"Yeah, I remember. It doesn't go away, either."

"Maybe. I need a place to meditate. Where is Siana?"

O'Neill coughed. "She's probably in China right now."

"Where is that?"

"Other side of the world. The FBI recruited her and King Max's gang to go kill supersoldiers. They're doing a bang up job."

Kyle nodded. "Please have her join me when she returns. In the meantime, I must meditate."

For once, O'Neill didn't argue about him forgoing Dr. Frazier's physical. Instead, after Kyle left, he turned to Carter. "Well?"

Carter shrugged. "I didn't see an alternative. He kept Daniel from doing it."

O'Neill stared at Daniel, who shrugged.

"Yeah, our one guy who speaks Ancient being rendered into a vegetable. That would have been smart. Well, okay then, let's hope that Mr. Katarn can find what we need."

* * *

The plasma faded, and Siana found herself standing once more in their safe house in Colorado. Maria peaked out from the kitchen. "Just in time for dinner!" she said. "Oh yeah, Siana, General O'Neill called and told you to call the SGC as soon as you get back."

Siana nodded and said thanks as she left Max and the others and went to the needlessly spacious room she enjoyed. She took the phone the Air Force provided and entered the number. O'Neill answered personally. "This is Siana," she said. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"How was China?"

"We were able to save the Prime Minister's son. But they were not very trusting."

"Yeah, the Chinese are like that," O'Neill said. "So, Kyle got back and asked you to come see him. I sent a car about thirty minutes ago, so it should be getting there shortly."

"Thank you, General.'

True to his word, the car arrived within minutes and Siana said short goodbyes to the others before she climbed in.

When she arrived at the SGC, she could sense something wrong in the Force, and ran down the halls until she arrived at the room her master had been assigned to.

He sat cross-legged on his bed in a pose of meditation she had never actually seen him use. "Master?" she whispered.

He opened his eyes and swayed a little. "I have downloaded the knowledge of our Alteran ancestors into my mind," he told her. "I am having a difficult time assimilating it."

"What can I do to help?"

Kyle squeezed his eyes shut before a particularly strong wave of pain. When at last he spoke, he kept his eyes shut. "Master Luke Skywalker appeared to me in a Force vision. He warned of more dangers to come. And he told me to pass on what I have learned to the Jedi of Earth."

Siana held her breath. "We will train them?"

"Precisely, 'we'," Kyle said. "We must begin sooner than I will be ready. I know it contradicts what I have already told you, but you must begin their training. I know you have been sneaking them some Jedi focusing techniques. You may stop sneaking. Teach them Force meditation and restoration. Teach them healing trances. And ask for Teal'c to aid in teaching basic lightsaber combat. He will be able to find you the appropriate teaching tools. There are no drones here, so we must teach them the old fashioned way, with the Zat guns the humans here sometimes use."

Siana listened with her heart soaring, but then felt a moment of panic. "Master, I'm not sure I'm…"

Kyle forced his eyes open. "Siana, you are a bright star in the Force. I begin to realize this is your destiny. Perhaps it was the destiny of the entire Delun family that you be here this day, to help me teach the Jedi arts to these children. We must do this, and if I had any padawan alive or dead to aid me, it would be you. Do not worry; you will be a great teacher and an even greater master."

She bowed low. "Master, is there anything I can do to ease your pain?"

Kyle smiled then, lifting a hand to her cheek. "Live, be happy, and pass on what you know. I will still be here after this, and together we will give Earth the most powerful Jedi in the history of the order. That is all the relief I need."

She kissed the palm of his hand, bowed again, and left the room.


	31. The Lost City, Part 2

Snowfur--Thanks for the review. Siana is definitely going to be involved in the training. Kyle's got his hands full at the moment.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Lost City, Part 2**

Cheyenne Mountain, CO, Stargate Command, Friday, January 25, 2002, 7:25 a.m. MST (14 hours before Antaran Fleet arrival)

_Kyle Katarn is Alteran. _

_He moves among his people on a city-ship on an ocean of ice. He knows they have removed themselves from the young humanoids that now walk in many of the lands of the world. Slowly, they are removing all traces of themselves, making way for this new emergence of humanity that came in part from their seeds._

_Now he is in a new galaxy; a new civilization founded by the Alteran people._

_Now he is fighting a war against a dreadful, persistent race that does not want peace with the Alterans, but literally to consume them as food. These are the Wraith, whose persistence and terrible physical strength is a match for the gentler powers of the Alteran people. The Alterans win every battle they engage the Wraith in, and yet somehow are losing the war._

_Then he stands with the rest—beings on the verge of becoming more than they are, beings who have already begun divorcing themselves from the physical. The decision is made to flee the galaxy and leave their offspring to the Wraith. The Alteran Kyle is saddened but acknowledges the wisdom of the decision. The Jedi Kyle is appalled by the wanton selfishness of the superior race leaving their descendants as living cattle of the Wraith._

_But one Alteran named Merlinus asks: "What of the Ori?"_

_Whispers crackle across the council. What of the Ori? What about those whose name causes__ pain, whose evil burns us?_

_The Alterans are leaving the world. They no longer care. It will be the problem of others. Merlinus objects and vows to defend their descendants. The others make no effort to stop him._

"_There is more," another says. Kyle feels drawn to this figure, a woman of stature and beauty like he has never seen before. "Others must know of where we have gone, and must be allowed to follow should they wish it. Be they Asgard, Furling, Nox or Human."_

_To this the others agree, and a decision is made to leave repositories of their knowledge. The city itself will be sunk to the bottom of their ocean world, and all outposts across the galaxies will be abandoned, even if still active and ready to use. _

Kyle opened his eyes and saw a man staring back at him. This man had a strange beard and long, curling hair that once was a reddish brown, but was quickly turning gray. He realized then that this man was him, and he was staring at his reflection in a mirror on the far wall of his room in the SGC.

Then he realized something else: the pain was gone. Through mediation and the Force, Kyle had absorbed and integrated everything. He looked within as the Jedi had been trained to do, and saw the little spheres within his mind, each containing massive amounts of information. Rather than try to know everything, Kyle instead unconsciously created mental indexes of the information. And within that index, when he thought of weapons, within his mind's eye he fell forward into the bubble of knowledge, and he saw what they needed.

He stood and walked out of his room. His two guards scrambled to follow, but he paid them no attention.

He found General O'Neill in the conference room with SG-1 and Thor. "I have it," he told them.

They stared at him without comprehension, except for Daniel. Very slowly, as if the words were difficult, he said, "You are speaking Ancient."

"Oh." Kyle concentrated on language and shifted his perceptions. "My apologies. It is a side-effect of how I had to assimilate the information."

"You mean you're not going nuts?" O'Neill asked.

"Master Katarn is a more advanced form of human than most on this planet," Thor pointed out. "Rather than a separate parallel evolution of humanity, Master Katarn and the humans of his galaxy are direct descendents of the Ancients. Between this genetic difference and his training as a Jedi, he was perhaps the only one who could survive the download."

"Except for you," O'Neill corrected.

"Yes," Thor said.

"There is an outpost here, on Earth," Kyle said. "But it needs power." Carter's mission book flew across the table to Kyle's waiting hand. He quickly scribbled seven shapes. "There is an ancient power source at this address."

He pushed the book back. "Okay," O'Neill said. "Let's go."

Moments later, though, reviewing the computer logs in the control room, Carter slowed them down. "Wait a minute. We dialed this same address over two years ago but we couldn't establish a wormhole. The Gate must be buried."

"Figures," Kyle and O'Neill both muttered. They shared a look. "Any ideas?"

"If our shuttle was functioning, we could get there pretty quick."

The two men turned to Thor. "I am actually just a hologram," Thor told them. "My ship is monitoring the Antaran fleet."

"Neat trick," O'Neill said.

"That leaves the Tok'ra," Kyle said. "They've taken a hit, but they should have a ship."

It took them two hours before they were able to reach Jacob Carter. "Of course we'll help," the Tok'ra said. "Gate over and we'll get you in a tel'tak in no time. I'll even fly for you."

By the time they gated to the new Tok'ra base, they were down to 14 hours on the invasion clock. They were met at the base of the gate ramp by Ren Al and Jacob Carter both, and a tel'tak transport ship sat waiting just a few meters away.

"I'm at your convenience," Jacob said. He eyed the massive cart of supplies they dragged with them. "That's a lot of stuff."

"Just a feeling we'll need it all," Katarn said.

"You have our full support," Ren Al said, bowing to Kyle. "If not for your assistance, none of the Tok'Ra would have survived. We are eternally grateful for your help."

"Thank you," Colonel Carter said. "Your help couldn't come at a more urgent time. We have three alien fleets descending on Earth this instant, and we have only hours to prepare."

"Three fleets?"

"Evidently a race called the Antarans are also interested in taking Earth over," Daniel explained. "It's a very long story."

"Well, no point in talking on the surface," Jacob said. "Let's go find this planet of yours."

* * *

Proxima Centauri Star System, 4.2 Light Years from Earth

The ha'tak mothership emerged from hyperpace with a cascade of Cronau radiation. Seconds later, more ha'taks arrived, and then more, and more, as the combined fleets of all the System Lords consolidated with Anubis's own sizable fleet to form the largest collection of Goa'uld vessels since they battled the Asgard thousands of years before.

Over a thousand ships hovered in the unpopulated star system. One of the ha'taks under the command of Kali noted a sublight ship of primitive design leaving the system. Without checking for authority, the ha'tak fired a single staff cannon blast.

The DY-100 _Botany Bay's_ artificial intelligence began the process of waking the great Khan Noonian Singh from his deep slumber just as the blast hit the fusion power plant. With a flash of super-heated nuclear fusion, the Great Khan and the rest of the surviving augmented humans who fought in the secret Eugenics War died in an instant, lost and forgotten to the cold depths of space.

* * *

Taonas, Planet of Proclarush, Milky Way Galactic Rim, (7 hours to expected arrival of Antaran Fleet)

"My God," Colonel Carter whispered as she looked over the charred, molten surface of the planet. "If there was a civilization down there, we're a million years or so too late."

Kyle nodded, but was not actually listening. In his mind's eye, he saw a beautiful world of blue seas filled with continent-sized islands of floating algae beds, and a few mountainous landmasses. He saw pearly white clouds drifting across a blue-green sky. He felt a gentle breeze tickling his hair and a sense of peace and contentment.

Then he felt a sharp sense of disappointment and even panic as he had to flee his beautiful home before the awesome might of a slowly dying star.

"There!" he said, still caught halfway between this world and the last one. "That bubble there. That's where we need to go."

Jacob Carter turned and stared at Kyle. "Now I understand why you brought the Hazmat suits. You knew it was going to be like this."

"Not consciously," Kyle said. "It was a strong hunch, though, so I figured there was a subconscious compulsion. Colonel, Daniel, Teal'c, shall we?"

The four of them suited up and used the tel'tak's transport rings to break through the thin layer of lava that had covered what had to have been an old force field. They rematerialized in a blackened cave, the only light available that which they brought themselves.

Kyle moved through the darkness as if born there, and in seconds found an odd, throne-like chair that he sat in. With a few quick manipulations of a control pad, the space came to light and fresh air rushed in as the long-dormant force field reactivated. As the others arrived, Kyle continued to manipulate the seat until a holographic image of the galaxy popped up. "There's the outpost," he said softly. "It's in the southern polar continent of your planet, under the ice. But…there used to be a city there. Terra Atlantus. They left for another galaxy, though. I just can't remember exactly why." He shook his head. "But that's not why we're here."

With a few more manipulations, an object poked above the surface of the dais on which the control chair rested. Kyle lifted himself from the chair, knelt down beside the object, and carefully removed what looked like a clumping of crystals with a faint orange-red glow from the center. "This should be enough to power Earth's weapon."

"Do we have enough time?" Carter said. "It took us almost six hours to get out here even with your changes to the hyperdrive."

"We'll get there when we get there," Kyle said with a shrug. "Let's go."


	32. Childhood's End

**Snowfur**--Thank you very much for the review. Here it comes.

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* * *

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[Author's note--Please note that this story was written before extensive details emerged on the fire-power of a _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer. My armaments are an extrapolation of future star destroyer developements from the _Executor_ and _Eclipse_ style ships. The description of the _Dragon's Claw_ firepower should be considered AU at this time, although as far as I know it may actually be spot-on.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Childhood's End**

High Earth Orbit, Saturday, January 25, 2002, 3:54 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25th, 8:54 p.m. MST)

One hour before the Antaran fleet was expected to arrive; one hour before Kyle, Carter, Teal'c and Daniel thought they had to return home, a ship 10 kilometers long and in the shape of a thickened wedge bristling with armament burst from hyperspace in a wash of Cronau radiation.

The radiation of the ship's re-entry so close to Earth sent shimmering lights dancing across the planet's Van Allen belts. There was no disguising the alien ship. There was no covering up of the presence of extra-terrestrial life. An object half the size of Manhattan suddenly appeared in the skies over Asia and literally tens of thousands of observers saw its hull reflecting the light of the sun like a misplaced, dagger-shaped star.

The _Dragon's Claw_ arrived before anyone could prepare, not that there was any preparation to be made for the arrival of a _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer. Even advanced worlds with planetary shields quavered before the arrival of one of the resurgent Empire's terrifying war machines. For a planet that had nothing but slow nuclear missiles for its defense, there was no hope.

On its bridge, Darth Krayt reached out with the Force and felt the myriad lives on the planet. There were a surprising number of signatures that stood out in the Force, but only one had the aura of a Jedi.

"This was the right planet," the Sith Lord told his aide.

Darth Wyyrlok bowed. "Yes, my master."

"Have these Tau'ri mounted any type of resistance?"

"None, Master. Judging from the primitive state of their satellites, it is doubtful they have any means of defense. Shall I contact them?"

"We will make our intentions perfectly clear," Krayt said. "Locate the most populous area of their planet—that should be their planetary central government. Once the most populous area is located, make it otherwise."

Wyrrlok bowed from the waist. "As you command, Master."

* * *

On the planet below, it is 9:54 a.m. on a Saturday morning in New Delhi. In a school in the Safdarjang Enclave, two school boys get in a fight. The smaller of the two manages a decisive blow to his larger opponent's nose, drawing blood and a howl of pain.

In a flower shop just off Connaught Circle in the center of the same city, the shop keep catches a thief attempting to lift a bouquet of flowers to sell in the street. He grabs his bat and swings while the thief is not looking, and connects with the man's head with sufficient force to drop the thief unconscious and possibly brain-damaged to the ground.

In the city of Ayodhya, Hindu militants attack a Muslim shrine in revenge for yet another Muslim attack against the Ram temple. Some of the hardliners are armed. Twenty Muslims are killed in the attacks.

In Benares, 475 miles east of New Delhi, a series of well coordinated terrorist bombs explode across the ancient Hindu holy city, killing hundreds and wounding more as Muslim militants continue their own jihad against the Indian government.

From high orbit, eight beams of energy streak down through the atmosphere, vaporizing thousands of gallons of air in their wake and leaving literal columns of vacuum behind them. The beams strike in a coordinated parabola across the northern Indian states of Gujart, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Assam.

The beams strike the surface of the planet traveling at just 3 percent below the speed of light and carry within each the directed explosive force of 10,000 gigatons focused into an area of approximately a hundred square meters. Each beam strikes the Earth's crust and penetrates in less than two seconds to a depth of more than forty kilometers, punching through to the mantle below. The resulting explosion is like nothing seen on Earth in over 65 million years, and perhaps not even then.

First come the concussive waves within the crust of the planet as the eight blasts rip across the subcontinent to the south and into Eurasia to the North, rolling the Himalayan Mountains like so many dominos. The land itself rolls like a tsunami as far south as Hydrabad. Skyscrapers are literally thrown hundreds of feet into the air.

Next is the fire. Mushroom clouds quickly rise atop columns of fire into the stratosphere. Rings of burning rock and ash from billions of tons of vaporized earth roll out from each blast like ripples in a molten pond. Lava bombs from the wounded land fall like destructive salt into the open wound of the earth.

Finally comes the shockwave of compressed, super-heated air rushing by at over 700 meters per second. Those within a hundred kilometers of the blast are killed instantly as their lungs are seared and their bodies tossed about like playthings. Those buildings that somehow survive the rolling soil and the flaming bombs are shattered into pieces before the wave of air. Forests are flattened; bridges ripped from their already twisted foundations. It is the end of everything south of the Himalayan Mountains, and much of what falls immediately to the north.

The subcontinent of India shudders as the whole _Placa Indiana_, the tectonic plate on which the country rests, literally cracks in half under the eight shots from the _Dragon Claw's_ main guns. In the space of approximately five minutes, over one billion human beings—mothers, fathers, children—die and an entire subcontinent is sheared away from the main continent.

A tsunami caused by the tectonic displacement of a subcontinent shoved almost one hundred meters into the ocean quickly sweeps across the Indian Ocean. A thousand foot high wall of water slams into the coasts of East Africa, Indonesia and Australia. Whole islands and cities are wiped clean before any civil warning can be announced. The blast causes a ripple-effect across the whole planet, spawning hundreds of massive earthquakes of biblical proportions. On the other side of the world, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco are all shaken almost to their foundations.

Kansas records its first 6.5 earthquake in modern history.

Within the next hour, tsunamis will strike every coast of every country around the world as the whole planet shudders under this assault. Although the full extent of the damage will never be known, future estimates believe that almost 20 percent of the entire human population of Earth will perish on this day. It takes only eight shots from a _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer.

"I believe they understand our intent now," Darth Krayt says, watching the destruction from orbit with satisfaction. "Contact their government and provide them an opportunity to surrender."

* * *

In Washington, President Charleston is rattled awake by an earthquake. A moment later, a cadre of secret servicemen rush into the Presidential living quarters. "Mr. President, we have to get you to safety!" they shout as they pull him and his wife from bed. On the heels of the agents come General Maynard and Beatrice Franklin, both of whom were already on call at the White House.

"Francis, what's going on?" the president demands as the whole group of them rush into the halls.

"An alien ship approximately 10,000 meters in length entered orbit, Mr. President, and fired weapons of unknown design on India. We believe it was the ship described by Mr. Katarn as a star destroyer."

"India?" Charleston blinks. "Why India?"

"We don't know for sure."

"Death toll?"

"Reports are sketchy sir, but we felt the shock just now."

"What? What happened over there?"

"As far as we can tell, the whole subcontinent is gone."

Charleston stops. "My God," he whispers. "Just like Katarn said."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"What do we do?"

"We surrender, Mr. President," Maynard says without hesitation. "There is no alternative. We can't fight firepower of that magnitude. Before he left on his last mission, Katarn recorded a message for us in their language just in case of this very scenario. I recommend we play it now."

Charleston, shaking with adrenalin and fear, nonetheless sees no alternative. "Okay, Francis. Play it. Bea, let all the other governments know what we're doing, and urge them to do the same. We don't want North Korea firing its missiles and getting the whole Earth cracked in half."

"I'm already establishing communications," the secretary of state says.

"God have mercy on us all," the President of the United States says.

* * *

In Stargate Command, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill stares at the satellite feed with a clenched jaw. "This is a live feed?" he asks.

Sergeant Walter Harriman sits before the gate control computer with his jaw agape. Behind the two men, the whole staff of the SGC watch the massive cloud of debris spreading throughout Eurasia, while, visible even from orbit, the satellite shows nearly the entire surface of India, that portion visible at least, in flames.

"Get the kids here now," O'Neill says. "Send a chopper, not a car. I want them here in ten minutes."

Harriman jumps to his feet to obey.

From behind him, Doctor Janet Frasier steps up to stare at the screen. "That's the tremor we felt, wasn't it?" she asks.

O'Neill looks down at the doctor. "Janet, go get Cassandra. Bring her here."

With tears in her eyes and a grateful nod, the doctor turns and leaves to fetch her daughter. In her place stands the holographic image of Thor, looking as real as if the Asgard commander were there in person. "I grieve for your planet, General O'Neill," he says. "We have witnessed atrocities such as this before in Kyle Katarn's galaxy. It saddens me that a civilization that could produce the Jedi could also produce monstrosities such as this."

"Thor, can you help us?"

The Asgard blinks. "I have only one ship in this galaxy, O'Neill. That one ship is not enough to stop a star destroyer. In this case, I would follow Katarn's advice, and surrender—at least until Anubis or the Antarans arrive. Your only hope is to prolong or prevent any more firings. Another blast with that destructive power could be sufficient to destroy your entire civilization."

Jack shakes his head. "Man, this feels like one of Daniel's alternate realities. It just can't be happening. We always save the day. We always get the bad guys."

"Some times the bad is too great to fight," Thor said.

"So what do we do?"

"Find equal bad to fight for you."

"What do you mean?"

"You shall see," Thor says, blinking again.

* * *

Authors Note: There are lots of smart people out there who have calculated with frightening precision the power output of turbolasers and superlasers. I am not one of them. So if the numbers appear off, take pity on this poort English major and try to accept it for the dramatic impact intended. The description of the effects of the attack actually came from an ELE level impact event. 


	33. Festival of Destruction

**Snowfur**--Heaven Falls is a very long story, but each part is a self-contained story arc. As a rule, I try to end each Part with something big. This was about as big as I could go short of blowing the plane tup. I appreciate your reading and reviewing!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Festival of Destruction **

En Route to Earth, Saturday, January 25, 2002, 4:00 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25th, 9:00 p.m. MST)

Kyle stumbled.

Carter turned and stared, surprised at this perfectly human act from someone who seemed in many ways to be more than human. Nonetheless, as he was walking back into the cockpit of the tel'tak after spending the majority of the return trip working on the transporter rings, Kyle Katarn paled the color of bone, and stumbled.

Teal'c caught him. "Are you well, Master Katarn?"

"There was a disturbance in the Force," Kyle whispered. "Like…millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I haven't felt anything like it since the Vong invasion." He looked up suddenly and grabbed the back of Carter's seat. "The Sith have arrived at Earth. And they've fired."

"What does that mean?" Daniel said.

"Millions," Kyle said wanly. "I felt millions upon millions die. The Sith must have opened up with their main batteries for some reason."

An appalled silence fell throughout the cabin as they continued on their course back to Earth.

* * *

Proxima Centauri Star System, 4.2 Light Years from Earth, 4:00 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25th, 9:00 p.m. MST)

"Our long range sensor buoys have detected an unknown ship entering the Tau'ri system," Osiris said as she entered the tel'tac of Lord Anubis's mothership. "They appear to have fired on the Tau'ri homeworld."

Try as she might, Osiris was unable to see beyond the strange, shimmering window of black that obscured Anubis's face even when the cowl was not drawn deeply over it. Nonetheless, she still felt as if his eyes burned her as he stared. "They are firing on the Tau'ri?"

"It appears so."

"And the Tau'ri have not fought back?"

"Not that we can tell, Lord."

Anubis stepped to the front of the tel'tac, staring through the wrap-around viewports of his command deck toward the distant speck of light that was the Tau'ri's sun just over four light years away. He did not need any instrumentation to know exactly what prick of light it was. He knew instinctively.

"This means two things," Anubis said at last. "It means the Tau'ri have not discovered where the secret weapon is, or how to operate it; and it means this Darth Krayt has also learned of the super weapon and is attempting to capture it for himself."

He remained standing for the longest time before he turned to the lesser Goa'uld. "Order all ships to jump to Earth. The weapon shall be ours or no one's at all."

"Yes, Lord," Osiris said with a bow. She passed the order on to Anubis's Prime Jaffa warrior, Herak, then turned to join her master in his contemplation of the stars. She viewed the upcoming battle not as a chance for glory or riches, but simply as an opportunity to kill the Sith Lord Darth Nihl.

* * *

Earth High Orbit, _Dragon's Claw, _Saturday, January 25, 2002, 4:55 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25th, 9:55 p.m. MST)

"We are receiving broadcasts in the low radio band," Darth Wyyrlok said with a bow to Darth Krayt. "One is in Basic. It offers a complete surrender and begs for mercy. It further states that they will surrender the Jedi to us without contest in return for our mercy. It is coming from the smaller continent in the northern hemisphere, from a nation-state identifying itself as the United States of America."

"They are primitives, but they are not fools," Darth Krayt said with a satisfied nod. "And the Jedi are foolish enough to voluntarily go to keep the rest of the world from being destroyed."

"Yes, Master. What are your orders?"

"Prepare a landing in force to secure this country. Start with their largest five cities. At the least sign of resistant, destroy one city every five minutes, beginning with the most populous."

"Understood, Master," Wyyrlok said with a bow.

Both Sith paused, and Krayt's head rose. "I feel a disturbance."

"I too, Master."

Wyyrlok called, "Captain!"

The Imperial captain ran to his Sith masters and snapped to attention. "M'lord!"

"Are there any signs of weapons fire or other ships in orbit?"

"Not at this time, M'lord…." The captain paused as clarions began going off all over the ship. He looked fearfully from one Sith to the other. "M'Lords, may I attend to this?"

"Do so, Captain," Wyyrlok said. Discipline for incompetence could wait until after the disturbance they felt in the Force was identified and dealt with.

The captain, a Corellian named Shintre, reached the command deck just as the space around them began rupturing under the re-entry bursts of hundreds upon hundreds of pyramidal ships—all gleaming gold under the light of the nearby sun. All the vessels were almost a kilometer in diameter, save the final and largest of the ships, which was easily over four times that width, with a dark hull that unlike the other vessels did not appear to have a division between the center pyramid and outer rings.

Without waiting for his masters, the Captain immediately began issuing orders. "Shields up! Starboard maneuvering thrusters full, bring the main guns to bear!" he said. "All fighters and attack craft launch. Load all concussion missiles and proton torpedoes and stand by to attack."

Suddenly a dark figure appeared in the center of the _Dragon Claw's_ bridge. Storm troopers rushed to surround the figure, but Darth Krayt himself motioned them to stop as he lifted himself from his command chair and walked casually to the figure.

"I am Lord Anubis," the figure said. "Your petty threats are meaningless. The Tau'ri are mine. Leave now or I shall crush you."

Darth Krayt was the only one who understood Goa'uld from his interrogation of a captured Jaffa. He studied the figure closely, knowing that it was only a hologram. The figure behind it, however, interested him greatly. He sensed great personal power, and an overwhelming evil. Here was one who could truly be a powerful Sith. Perhaps too powerful.

"I am Darth Krayt, Dark Lord of the Sith, and soon to be Emperor of my own galaxy. I go where I please, and destroy any who stand in my way. However, I have no interest in the planet below. I am here to collect two criminals from my galaxy. Once they are collected, I shall depart this galaxy. If you wish to fight me, you are welcome to try. I shall target your vessel first above all others. Even should this ship fall before your fleet, you will not live to see that happen. Or, you can stand down, let us collect the criminals in question, and let us leave in peace. The decision is yours."

The figure of Anubis said nothing for some time and seemed to be staring instead directly at Krayt. "I sense truth in your words," he said at last. "My servant was told by one claiming to be Darth Nihl that you were here on a mission of conquest."

Krayt did something the Sith lord had not done in fifty years. He grinned, threw his head back, and started to laugh. When at last he contained himself, he said, "Nihl is dead. His death is what brought me here. The one you spoke to must have been Katarn, and he is no Sith Lord! He is a Jedi, one of the two criminals I am seeking. He was playing us off each other to try and spare this world. It is a typical Jedi action."

"This Katarn wounded one of my most honored servants."

Krayt nodded regally. "Then as a gesture of goodwill, after I have what I need from him, I shall deliver him to you alive for your servant's personal amusement."

"That would be most gracious," Anubis said. "I shall not attack so long as your activities over this world are limited to capturing your criminals. If after that you leave, you shall do so in peace."

"Then we are agreed," Krayt said.

"Agreed," Anubis said.

The hologram disappeared. Krayt turned to Captain Shintre. "Begin landing our troops."

The captain bowed. "As you wish, M'Lord."

In Stargate Command below, General O'Neill, a holographic Thor, Siana Delun, FBI Agents Mulder and Scully, Roberta Lincoln and Rain Robinson, Tess Harding, Max and Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin, Liz Parker and Maria Deluca all watched a series of satellite images on computer monitors as the alien ships in orbit above did absolutely nothing.

"I don't think they're going to fight," Siana said at last.

"It was our best hope," Thor said sadly, "but I believe you are right, Jedi Delun. I am intercepting message traffic between the hat'ak mothership and the Sith ship. They are speaking."

"General," Sergeant Harriman said, "we've got new contacts emerging from the star destroyer."

Siana leaned down and stared at the images. "Sithspit," she whispered. She turned to O'Neill. "Those are dropships. They must have come to an agreement. The Sith are coming here." She looked around, her vivid blue eyes wide with fear. "You're going to have to surrender me."

She turned and looked down at Thor. The Asgard blinked and said: "Perhaps not, Jedi Delun. Observe."

In the _Dragon's Claw_, Captain Shintre paled. "M'Lords!" he shouted. "New ships are arriving!"

On the ha'tak mothership, Prime Herak called out, "Lord, new ships have entered the system! They are coming on an attack course."

"Who are they?" Osiris demanded.

"Unknown design," Herak said. "Their energy signatures are similar to the Asgard, but different in frequency and intensity. There are over a thousand ships so far."

The Antaran fleet had arrived, a thousand ships strong. Each ship was the shape of a giant saucer almost two kilometers in diameter and over eight hundred meters thick. They came in wave after wave, gleaming a dull grey color under the light of Sol. They made no effort to communicate, since in the Antaran mind any ship over Earth that was not theirs was an enemy.

A ring around each craft, eight meters wide and running the entire circumference of the ship, began glowing. Suddenly a burst of white super-accelerated particles shot out from the ring of the lead ship, impacting one of Lord Morrigan's ha'taks. The ha'tak's shields took on a white glow, and then collapsed under the bombardment. Seconds later, the vessel exploded in a ball of superheated gas and debris.

On Earth, those in the West—whose skies were not obscured by the fast-encroaching ash and debris clouds from the remnants of India—could see the explosion in the night sky like a flash of a distant strobe light. On satellite, the explosion was much more impressive, and in Stargate Command people began cheering as the Sith landing craft began pulling back.

Suddenly, the heavens over Earth blazed as if the gods themselves were at war. The Battle of Earth had begun.


	34. The Battle of Earth

jfr07--What's the point of writing if you're not willing to take risks. With this whole story set on what was essentially our Earth in 2002, I wanted to really shake up the respective show's canons. Hopefully I've been able to do that. I appreciate that Krayt and Anubis's first meeting worked for you. The way I view it--if they're smart enough to gather as much power as they have, they're smart enough to talk first before they start blowing each other up.

Snowfur--Dramatic license. ;)

Thank you both for reading and your reviews! Happy holidays.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four: The Battle of Earth**

High Earth Orbit, Saturday, January 25, 2002, 4:38 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25th, 9:00 p.m. MST)

Sound does not travel in space.

Popular media would have you believe otherwise. Movies show spaceships roaring through empty space while explosions boom and crackle. The educated viewers of these programs settle back into a willful suspension of disbelief while the less educated don't know any better and wouldn't care if they did. Either way, people want the roar of zooming ships and the visceral THX roar of explosions in space.

In high orbit over Earth, light ripped the heavens apart as three separate races from two separate galaxies embarked on a festival of destruction.

An Antaran saucer destroyed a Goa'uld ha'tak only to be obliterated by a single blast from the main guns of the _Pelleaon_-class star destroyer _Dragon's Claw_. The Antaran fleet bore down on the _Dragon's Claw_, only to be thwarted by the destroyer's old Asgard-based shields and overwhelming point-defense turbolaser batteries. Meanwhile, the Goa'uld took advantage of the change in direction of the Antaran attack and concentrated their fire in clumps, picking out the nearest massive saucer and pelting it with the staff cannon fire of twenty ha'taks per ship until even the mighty Antaran ship's shields failed and it exploded under the assault.

The space between the fleets began to glitter with wreckage and debris.

There was no sound in space, however. The whole war, to the outside observer, was fought in pure, utter silence.

To those inside the ships, however, the sound was more visceral than anything Hollywood could imagine. Organ-damaging concussion waves ripped through dying ships, tearing Jaffa and Gao'uld alike apart, while the more frail Antarans died in equal numbers. Air roared as hull ruptures pulled screaming crewmen into the cold vacuum of space, while sirens whined and clarions tolled alarms of a thousand different kinds.

Fighters swarmed out from the _Dragon's Claw_ and from all of the System Lord fleet to cause what damage they could among the Antarans, who had no need of smaller vessels and simply swatted the fighters down with lightning-like streaks of energy—all from the energized central band that circled every one of their vessels. It was the largest space battle the Milky Way galaxy had ever seen, and there was no clear winner.

On the planet below, people watched as debris began raining across the skies.

Of course, the people of Earth had other issues to dwell on.

India--the whole subcontinent--was obliterated. The aftershocks from the _Dragon's Claw's_ barrage continued to level cities as far away as China and Greece, with secondary and tertiary quakes all along the Pacific and Atlantic subduction zones. The ash cloud had now covered almost twenty five percent of the entire planet, pushing aside regular clouds and creating roiling pillars of darkness lit only by friction-fueled streaks of lightning that threw all before it into despair. To the peoples of Eastern Africa, the approaching cloud was a symbol of Muhammad's vengeance. In sight of massive, boiling clouds laced with streaks of unfathomably powerful bolts of lightning, it was easy to understand.

It really did feel like Judgment Day had arrived.

"I'm not sure we're going to get through that," Jacob Carter said as he and the others watched the distant, silent battle from high orbit. "I've never even seen ships like those before. Are those the Antarans?"

"I guess so," Kyle said. "They appear to have some pretty potent weapons."

"Not enough to damage the star destroyer," Teal'c noted.

"Not yet, but it will happen. Vessels from our galaxy use modified Asgard shields," Kyle said. "The Asgard shared the technology with us during the Ori wars. Now I wish they hadn't." He watched as ships continued to explode. "This is madness. To think somehow Siana is responsible for all this by crash-landing on Earth? It's madness."

"That's madness," Colonel Carter said she pointed toward the black cloud covering the Indian Ocean. "Kyle, is that what you felt?"

The Jedi nodded. "The main guns of a _Pellaeon_-class destroyer are semi-super lasers. They are capable of shearing whole continents and can reduce the surface of a planet to molten glass in minutes. I would imagine Darth Krayt fired that just to get people's attention."

Carter swallowed visibly.

"I think we can try an atmospheric re-entry," Jacob Carter finally said. "It'll be a hard run, but we can do it."

"The weapon should be in the southern pole, under the ice."

"How are we going to get there?" Daniel asked.

"I've modified the rings. We'll get through. The problem is making sure they don't see what we're doing." Kyle pointed to the largest of the alien ships. "If Krayt senses what we're doing, he'll be able to bring the main guns to bear. It doesn't matter how powerful this superweapon is if he vaporizes the continent it rests on."

"Then we'll have to be real subtle," Jacob Carter said. He hit the hyperspace controls before anyone had time to brace themselves. A split second later light flashed and they found themselves tumbling toward the surface of the planet.

"Teal'c, help!" Jacob cried.

Sam and Teal'c quickly changed places and the two pilots both began pulling up on the flight controls as the ship blasted through the atmosphere at a deadly angle of re-entry. "I believe you came out too close to the planet surface, Jacob Carter," Teal'c said.

"Gee, you think?" Jacob grunted. "Brace yourselves, this isn't going to be pretty."

White mountains rushed up at them as Teal'c and Jacob both pulled desperately. The ship around them creaked and groaned with the effort of achieving level flight. Suddenly the whole ship bounced violently as they struck a mountain top. Sam felt herself jerked violently off her feet, only to be caught by Katarn.

"Thanks," she said as he helped her strap into a seat.

"No problem," Kyle answered. Then he looked down at where Daniel had fallen. "You okay?"

"Why didn't you catch me?"

"She's prettier."

Daniel managed to look both understanding and supremely annoyed as Kyle also helped him into a seat, before strapping in as well. "Any damage?"

"These are tough ships," Jacob said. "It'll take more than a mountain to break them. Okay, I think we're safe now. Where to?"

Kyle closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. "Change direction by 5 degrees east. There. Continue for another two kilometers and then slow. I'll tell you when to stop. Little more. More. And…stop."

Finally, the tel'tak came to a complete stop. Kyle jumped from his seat, ran to the cargo area and activated the ring controls. However, with the modifications he had made, the rings themselves did not activate. Instead, a pillar of ionized plasma shot down toward the ice, vaporizing it instantly as the energy drilled down underneath the glacier.

"This is going to take a few minutes," Kyle said. "Let's hope no one noticed our arrival."

Of course, Kyle should have known better than to even hope for such good fortune. On the command deck of Anubis's mother ship, Osiris stepped to her lord's side. "Lord, I detected a small cargo ship entering the Tau'ri's southern hemisphere. It came out of hyperspace almost in the air and appears to have stopped near their southern pole."

Anubis spun and stared. "The Tau'ri have found the weapon! Attack them!"

Outside, two more ha'taks erupted in flame. "Lord, we have lost a third of our fleet to these alien ships," Osiris pointed out. "We cannot afford to try and enter the atmosphere—we would be destroyed!"

"Then prepare my personal al'kesh and a flight of death gliders. I will go there personally, and you will accompany me." He turned to his prime. "Herak, I leave command of the fleet to you. Do not let those creatures win!"

Herak bowed with a feral grin. "They shall die screaming, Lord!"

A few thousand kilometers away, on board the _Dragon's Claw_, Captain Shintre snapped to attention before Darth Wyyrlok. "My Lord, the shields are weakening to forty percent. We have destroyed almost a third of the new alien fleet, but the sheer force of numbers is against us. Even with the assistance of the Gao'uld, we cannot afford to maintain this position. Respectfully, m'lord, I suggest we withdrawal to a more tactically sound position."

Before Wyyrlok could answer, Darth Krayt snapped to his feet. "He has returned!"

Wyyrlok and Shintre turned to stare as the Sith Lord clenched a fist. "I sense you, Katarn. Hide as you might, you cannot hide from me." He strode purposefully toward the captain. "Do not abandon this position. Have a squadron of fighters and a shuttle prepared. Wyyrlok commands in my absence. I have an appointment with Kyle Katarn!"

Shintre snapped to attention, his face stoic. "Yes, M'lord."

* * *

"Boy do I wish the X-303 project was done!" Colonel Carter whispered as she looked up into the bright, sunny sky of the Southern pole. It was summer there, and despite the bitter cold, the white snow and blue sky was beautiful in its purity. Even here, on the far side of the world, she could see flashes of light in the sky and, on the horizon, the shadow of ash clouds. The alien fleets had circled almost half the planet as they continued their battle.

"We are in a most vulnerable position," Teal'c said by way of agreeing. "It seems only a matter of time before someone notices us."

"I think someone just did!" Jacob Carter said. "I have two sets of ships on an intercept course coming in on different approach vectors. At least some of the ships are Gao'uld; I don't recognize the others."

Just then Kyle stepped into the cockpit. "That's Darth Krayt himself," Kyle said. "He must have sensed me."

"From orbit?" Daniel said.

"What can I say?" Kyle shrugged. "I'm a bright spot in the Force. We should be through the ice in a few seconds. Jacob, when we break through, just land the ship. It'll buy us some time. I have a feeling we may get a break here."

As the incoming ships became visible specks in the sky, Kyle announced they had broken through the ice shelf. Jacob gently lowered the abused cargo ship down until they rested directly over the hole.

"All right," Kyle said as they gathered in the ring room. "I'm going to suggest all of us go down. This ship is a target and anyone caught in it, or outside without protection, will either be shot or frozen. Agreed?"

"What are we going to find down there?" Daniel asked.

"A small outpost, the last one left by the Ancients before they left this planet," Kyle said. "At least, that's what I remember. The Ancients were around almost a million years after all, up until just ten thousand or so years ago. A lot may have changed since then."

"Well, we don't have anywhere else to go," Jacob said. "Might as well go down there."

They gathered together within the rings and activated the control. The naquedah rings rose up around them. Light flashed and a gong-like sound pealed through the air, and moments later they stood in a darkened cavern, the only light coming from the blue-tinged tunnel burned through the ice above.

Like the molten planet before, Kyle led the way into the darkness as if born to it. SG-1 followed with flashlights, lighting the way for Jacob. Inside, they found an obviously artificially constructed room equal in size to the one of the molten planet. And just like that other planet, they found a throne-like chair.

Kyle ignored it. He reached out a hand and the energy module they took from the other outpost flew from Carter's backpack to the Jedi's hand. He bent down over the dais on which the throne chair rested, waved a hand over a part of the surface, and nodded as the surface popped open and a darkened module slowly rose up. He removed it and slipped the still lit one in. Instantly, the whole room came to life.

"It is amazing that it can function still after all this time," Daniel whispered, instantly enthralled by all he saw before him.

"If this gets you excited, you should have seen Centerpoint Station," Katarn said. "The place was as big as a moon and could move planets all around the galaxy. It was used to build an artificial solar system in my galaxy before it got sucked into another dimension with the Ori."

"Who are the Ori?" Daniel asked.

Kyle sat in the throne. "You know the Ancients ascended, right?"

"Right."

"And you know they're pretty powerful, right?"

"I've met one."

Kyle blinked. "Really? And you don't know what the Ori are?"

"No."

"The Ori are…I guess you could call them anti-Ancients. Ascended beings of pure evil. In religious terms, the Ancients could be described as cold and aloof gods. The Ori as hot-tempered and in-your-face devils. We fought a war against them in my galaxy that cost trillions of lives and forty-three inhabited planets. That was how we met the Asgard—they assisted us."

"Sounds scary," Carter said.

"You have no idea. But you will."

"What does that mean?"

Instead of answering the question, Kyle pressed the touchpad of the chair, and suddenly the air lit up with a two-dimensional representation of the surface. There, two sets of ships landed in the snow, and two dark figures emerged on opposite sides of the cargo ship.

"This should get interesting," Kyle said.


	35. Scylla and Charibdis

**Snowfur**--Stargate has had some great moments. The Supergate and the Ori from season nine play a vital role at the end of Part III and everything after.

Thank you for reading and your review. They are appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Scylla and Charibdis**

Antarctica, 1.7 kilometers northwest of Ellsworth Mountains, Saturday, January 25, 2002, 5:12 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 25, 10:12 p.m. MST)

Two dark figures moved over the ice of Antarctica toward the hump-backed shape of a tel'tak cargo ship. On one side came Anubis and a dozen of his best Jaffa warriors, with Osiris in a luxurious fur robe a step behind. On the other came Darth Krayt and a squad of crack snow troopers. The air was perfectly still and bitterly, bone-chillingly cold.

The two parties met at the nose of the now dormant ship.

"Darth Krayt," Anubis hissed. "You agreed to keep your activities limited to capturing your criminals."

"Kyle Katarn is here," Krayt responded.

Behind Anubis, Osiris's head popped up, but she said nothing.

"This is a sacred place," Anubis said. "It is an outpost of the Ancients. You cannot enter."

Krayt straightened. "The Ancients, you say?" He looked hard at Anubis and his men, then at the ship. "I begin to understand. Katarn must have found something here that you want. A weapon, perhaps?"

"It is of no concern to you," Anubis declared. "I shall collect Katarn. When the site is secure, I will give him to you gladly."

"And then use this weapon to attempt to destroy my vessel?" Krayt finished. "Do you think I am a fool?" The Sith lord lit his red light saber. Instantly the Jaffa lowered their staffs into firing position.

Anubis remained still, slowly putting out a hand. "I sense great power in you, Darth Krayt, but do not make the mistake of thinking me weak. Challenge me, and you will die!"

"Enough of this nonsense," Krayt growled. "Kill them all!"

* * *

"M'Lord," Captain Shintre said, "shields have failed. We have deployed secondary ray shielding, but even so we are taking hull damage." 

Darth Wyyrlok nodded. "And we will continue to do so until our master orders us to do otherwise. Have we fired missiles yet?"

Shintre blinked. "Concussive missiles would damage the Gao'uld ships as well, m'lord. They have been instrumental in assisting us against the enemy fleet."

"I am not concerned with the Gao'uld," Wyyrlok said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Order a full volley from the main guns, all point defense guns and a full volley of proton torpedoes and concussive missiles. I want the sky clear."

Shintre paled slightly but bowed without saying a word. He turned to relay the orders. On the dorsal side of the destroyer, the four massive batteries of two super laser cannons each locked into position. Across the 10 kilometer stretch of the star destroyer, every turbolaser battery not already firing on the enemy turned to lock onto a target. Across the previously smooth hull, door after door slid open to reveal thousands of canisters of proton torpedo and assault concussive missile launchers.

The Antaran ships responded as if sensing the coming attack. Saucers reoriented themselves to present the smallest target surface to the front of the star destroyer. It was exactly as Shintre had feared. The star destroyer, at the insistence of its Sith master, was about to play its entire Sabacc hand, leaving nothing left or secret.

"Fire," Wyyrlok said, sensing the captain's hesitation.

"It is not for me to question," Shintre whispered. "Fire. All weapons."

Five thousand assault concussive missiles, seven thousand proton torpedoes, eight blasts of the super turbolaser cannons and over 1,200 turbolaser point defense guns fired simultaneously. Fifty ha'taks caught in the blast crumpled under the assault, their shields falling before turbolaser fire and their hulls shattering under the impact of the concussive missiles.

The first wave of Antaran vessels fired their strange weapons of white particles, intercepting still more of the torpedoes and missiles en route. Many of the weapons were destroyed within the Gao'uld lines, damaging still more ha'taks--as if the Antarans were harnessing the destruction directed against them to kill even more of the Goa'uld.

Not even the Antarans could stop the laser fire or all the missiles, however. At almost a mile wide, even the Antaran mother ships shattered before each blast of the main guns. Fifty Antaran saucers exploded, generating sufficient destructive energy in their death throes to destroy another twenty of their vessels.

And yet hundreds remained.

"All hardpoint ordinance depleted," Shintre said with a resigned voice. "Seventy enemy vessels destroyed, eighty-five friendly vessels destroyed."

Suddenly the captain felt a crushing force on his neck lifting him clear of the deck. He spun around in mid-air and saw Wyyrlok holding out his hand. "Understand this, Captain. We are Sith. There are NO friendly vessels!"

The captain collapsed gasping to the floor. "Yes, m'lord," he managed to say, just before the Antaran counter-strike ripped through their ray shielding and burned through three hundred meters of the command tower hull.

The captain was instantly on his feet, still gasping. "Return fire, all weapons. Order the mains to fire at will on the Antarans. All command staff evacuate to the secondary bridge!"

* * *

Dead Jaffa and stormtroopers littered the snow. Osiris crouched down along the side of the tel'tak, watching as the alien Sith Lord and her master faced each other over the bodies of their fallen men. 

"You have no idea what you have done this day, foolish creature," Anubis said. "I have more power than you can possibly imagine."

"All I have seen from you is talk."

Anubis reached out a hand and unleashed a torrent of white light. Krayt lifted his saber to intercept it, then cried as the light showered past his weapon and impacted his chest. Growling at the pain and his own submission to it, Krayt raised his own hand and from his fingers burst a storm of blue lightning.

The lightning shocked Anubis into a surprised howl and sent him stumbling back. In a raging roar, he raised both hands. The snow around him melted into water, and then reformed into long spears of ice that shot at Krayt with the speed of bullets.

Snorting his contempt, Krayt dismissively used the Force to crush the ice into harmless flakes. "The Force is my tool, I can use it to match any magic you may have," the Sith Lord said. "And my saber can ensure you will not use your magic for long."

Krayt Force-pulled Anubis toward him and slashed with his blade. Anubis howled as the right sleeve of his robe came off. There was no blood, though. There was, in fact, nothing but a wisp of light and what looked like black smoke.

Anubis reached out his remaining hand before Krayt and made a fist. Krayt suddenly felt his heart constricting.

"Foolish creature!" Anubis said as Krayt knelt gasping in the snow. "I am not just Goa'uld! I am more than any of my kind has ever been! I have walked the halls of the Ascended! I have learned their secrets. I am the greatest power this galaxy has ever seen! You cannot defeat me!"

Krayt reached out his own hand, and with a flick of the Force pushed back the cowl of the robe. The inky black that had always covered Anubis's face faded, and what the Sith Lord saw made even he feel a moment of fear.

Anubis was not alive. Nor was he dead. His head was that of a desiccated corpse, but surrounded in odd white plasma that curled around the decrepit skin like fire. And his eyes—he possessed no eyeballs at all. He stared at Krayt with eyes of fire.

"Do you understand now, foolish creature!" Anubis said. "I am more powerful than you could possible imagine!"

Krayt suddenly pushed with all the might the Force could lend him. Anubis went flying backward in the snow as the Sith Lord followed, lightsaber blazing. Before Anubis could react, Krayt removed the rictus skull from its neck, sending it skidding across the snow.

"Noooo!" a hollow voice howled. An inky black smoke rose from the body. Krayt lashed it with Force lightning, eliciting a weaker howl with each successive blow, until in the end all the remained of Lord Anubis was a puff of black smoke dissipating before a careful swipe of Darth Krayt's saber.

He turned and saw Osiris, still squatting in fear. Krayt approached her. "Shall we do battle as well, little girl?"

"I am four thousand years old," Osiris said defiantly, despite the cringing body language. "My host is a child, but I am not. Nor could I fight you. Your power is too great. You have defeated my lord; I now owe allegiance to you."

Krayt snorted in contempt. "So easily swayed are you?"

"One does not live four thousand years without gaining wisdom," Osiris said.

Krayt raised his arm, and Osiris accordingly lifted into the air, grasping her neck. "Tell me, worm, how does one live to be so old?"

"The Goa'uld sarcophagus renews us, and keeps our host bodies alive and young for hundreds of years."

She dropped onto the hard, snow-crusted ice. "You may serve me yet," the Sith Lord said. "After I have dealt with Katarn."

* * *

"Enemy losses now over five hundred!" Shintre said from the secondary command deck deep within the cathedral-like shape of the destroyer. "We are taking heavy damage at all points. Sensors indicate the Goa'uld have lost more than three-quarters of their ships. M'Lord, this is a battle we cannot win!" 

"Winning is irrelevant," Wyyrlok said dismissively. "None of you matter. You shall all die gloriously in the name of your master, Darth Krayt!"

Shintre could not say for sure at what moment he realized Wyyrlok had to die. It was not as he heard the Sith gladly condemn him and his crew of three hundred thousand men and women to death. Nor was it when an Antaran barrage took out two of the _Dragon Claw's_ main guns.

His decision was made when his eyes made contact with Commander Delvin Ostrael standing two dozen meters behind Wyyrlok with a squad of fifty storm troopers in the secondary command deck. Without trusting himself to speak, Shintre nodded silently to his executive officer, who nodded in return.

Instantly sensing the betrayal, Wyyrlok Force-shoved the captain off the command deck and into one of the many sunken operation trenches as fifty blaster rifles opened fire. He then spun to Ostrael and the stormtroopers. "You!" he shouted in rage at Ostrael, as if suddenly recognizing the commander.

Commander Ostrael merely knelt down and fired his blaster with the rest of his troopers. The Sith's red saber lit and deflected many of them back, killing half the troopers there. But not even the most powerful Force users were invulnerable, as shown by the many Jedi purges. And with each successive strike, Wyyrlok's defenses grew weaker and weaker.

In the end, when Shintre, limping and with his left arm hanging useless by his side, climbed from the operation pit with a blast pistol in his right hand, Wyyrlok did not even have the energy to turn and face the bolt that killed him.

When the Sith lord fell, Shintre thought, there should have been silence. There should have been a dramatic pause as they committed the one unforgivable sin that would land them all into the hold to await death.

But they were in the middle of a battle, and the many alarms, com channel chatter and moans from the injured troopers pushed away the drama, and brought the captain back to reality.

A concentrated burst of Antaran weapons fire ruptured the entire peaked center on the dorsal side of the ship. The whole ten kilometer craft shuddered violently, tossing crewmen about like rag dolls.

"We're suffering massive decompression!" Ostrael yelled. "We've suffered breaches in thirty-five decks. Heaevy casualties. The secondary reactor has been exposed!"

"Alter course!" Shintre commanded. "Break orbit at best speed and recall all fighters. Keep all batteries facing the enemy ships, but get us out of here!"

The orders were relayed across the secondary command bridge as the flaming _Dragon's Claw_ flew limping from the theatre of combat, leaving the hapless Goa'uld to face the superior foe of the Antaran fleet, reduced greatly in number but still a formidable foe.

The Antarans did not let the ship leave untouched, however. Another burst of fire flashed across the dorsal side of the massive ship, and deep within its bowels, even Shintre could hear the explosion of the secondary reactor.

"Hyperdrive is out," Ostrael said. "We've still got sublight, but we have massive power fluctuations and are venting coolant from the hypermatter reactor."

"Continue retreat," Shintre said. "Best speed. Get us away from this Force-cursed planet!"

On Anubis's mothership, First Prime Herak watched with an angry grimace as the Imperial ship retreated. "Cowards!" He slapped the communications crystal and opened a channel to the remaining fleet. "All ships continue firing. Any ha'tak too damaged to continue fighting is ordered to ram the enemy! Glory to Anubis, your god! Show them we are warriors, not cowards who run away at the first sign of adversity! Glory to your god!"

* * *

In Stargate Command, the light of the Stargate shone through the gate room as personnel continued to pour through to the Alpha Site. In the control room, Brigadier General Jack O'Neill stood with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

"And we're sure they landed in Antarctica?" he said.

Sergeant Harriman nodded. O'Neill turned to Roberta Lincoln, who with Rain Robinson and the Roswell kids had been watching the whole battle. "Any chance you can get us down there?"

The two women shook their heads and looked at Thor.

"The atmosphere of the Earth has been ionized sufficiently by the combat to prevent any type of teleportation," the Asgard said. "Not even I can join you in person right now. My ship is observing the battle and I will do what I can, but right now Colonel Carter and Master Katarn are on their own."

O'Neill nodded gravely then turned to face the gate. "Sithspit," he muttered, borrowing a new favorite phrase from Katarn. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it sounded appropriate, which was all he really cared about. "Continue the evacuation."


	36. Star's End

**snowfur**--Thanks, and as always, thank you for the review.

**Author's Note**: My Darth Krayt is NOT A'Sharad Hett. I wrote this before the identity of Krayt was revealed. The common speculation at the time was that Jacen was Krayt, however this proved false. This is one of those times when it helps to remember that Heaven Falls is COMPLETELY AU. This was set in the same universe begun by Gods of Dark and Light. The Vong war happened, but differently than cannon. Please keep this is mind when reading this chapter.

Thanks--Darth Marrs

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Star's End**

Low Earth Orbit, Saturday, January 25, 2002, 5:32 a.m. GMT (Friday, January 24, 11:32 p.m. EST)

Even as Antaran ships died under the suicidal collisions and staff cannons of the dwindling Goa'uld fleet, the bulk of the remaining Antaran fleet continued on toward Earth, assuming positions over the horizon in such a way as to encircle the entire globe.

As they assumed their positions, each ship sent out a pulse of energy.

On the surface far below, Senator Robert Kinsey walked out of the office of his mansion in Virginia and stared up at the sky. He could see easily ten circles just over the D.C. area, to his perspective each the size of a distant lightbulb, but clearly visible in the night sky. Their light rings flared against the strange luminosity that still filled the night due to the massive battle in orbit.

In the distance, he could see the occasional fires across the city from damage caused by the quake earlier that evening, and the tsunami that swept over all the low-lying areas. But what interested him was above.

His masters had summoned him. It was time to prepare the way.

* * *

Darth Krayt stared at the strangely shaped Gao'uld vessel. He did not even move his hand as the ship, easily weighing a hundred tons, lifted off the hole, levitated ten meters clear, and then slammed with ground-shaking weight back to the ice. Ignoring the stunned Osiris, Darth Krayt stepped to the edge of the hole and stared down. And down.

The hole appeared to be almost two kilometers or more deep. He turned to the Gao'uld. "Does this ship have a means of getting me down there?"

"The transport rings," Osiris said. "I shall operate them for you."

"Do so."

* * *

Two kilometers below the ice, Teal'c, Daniel, Samantha Carter and her father Jacob, and Kyle Katarn watched the carnage in orbit. The last of the ha'taks had exploded, and the Antaran ships were easily overwhelming Anubis's mothership, which finally exploded in a spectacular ball of flame that lasted exactly as long as it took to exhaust the ship's oxygen supply.

"I count around three hundred fifty Antaran ships left," Kyle said as he eyed the mid-air display panel. "Looks like they're assuming a coverage area over the planet."

"Tess told Agent Mulder the Antarans were going to terraform the planet to be more suitable to their physiology," Carter said as she watched. "That alone might be enough to wipe out the whole human population."

"Well, we wanted to wait to see how the battle panned out," Kyle said. "I'll give this to the Empire, they make one mean warship. If there had been even two star destroyers, I think both the Goa'uld and Antarans would have been history. But so much for that." He settled back into the chair and leaned back. "I'm going to be pretty wrapped up for a while. Try to keep the bad guys off my back."

"We will do so, Master Katarn," Teal'c said with a nod.

A ray of light shone down on the Jedi as he activated long-dormant systems. The ground underneath them began to shake when suddenly the floors in a cavern ten meters away collapsed. A strange, almost squid-like object of glowing light rose into the air.

Suddenly it shot up through the ice, penetrating almost two miles effortlessly. A second followed, and then a third and fourth. As if a dam broke, suddenly hundreds, even thousands of the strange objects shot up out of the floor, through the ice shelf, and into the air beyond. The last drone shot out just as they heard the sound of transport rings, and turned to see a horrifying figure clad in strange armor standing next to Osiris.

"Where is Katarn!" the strange creature said in Goa'uld.

* * *

Kyle stood suspended above the horizon of the earth. There was no cold, nor heat. He felt no breeze. But he saw. He saw the wreckage of thousands of ships forming a ring of debris around the planet.

He saw the Antaran ships contacting their sleeper agents on the surface—at least those agents that had not already been hunted down by the FBI and the Antaran hybrids from Roswell.

Across the planet, in sites not yet destroyed by Darth Krayt's indiscriminate barrage on India, energy plants began producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide that poured into the atmosphere. Between the increase in greenhouse gases and the roiling clouds of ash from the death of a subcontinent, the whole Earth began to bake.

Kyle saw all of this as if he were a part of the Earth itself, and he realized then that was a part of the Alteran technology, and also part of his heritage. Like the rest of the humans from his galaxy, he was a direct descendent of the Alteran people. This outpost, this technology, was his heritage. And this very planet was the cradle of his race.

He was able to wield the Ancient technology better than anyone else on Earth could have hoped or imagined.

He launched his drones through the atmosphere. The Antaran shields were on par with or greater than those of the Asgard. The drones ripped through them as if they were paper. Long strings of drones sliced through each Antaran vessel, targeting the drive and power systems. Suddenly the massive ships began exploding, one after the other in quick succession.

He pulled heavily from the power of the zero point module and reached into the atmosphere of the planet itself. A few drones left each of the strings that were devouring the Antaran fleet and headed back into the atmosphere to the edge of the ever-increasing ash cloud. The lead drone suddenly vaporized in a twenty mile wide sphere of light that lasted only a second. In its absence, the air remained, but all particulate matter larger than a few molecules was simply gone. Other drones moved down into the ash cloud, similarly vaporizing massive amounts of ash.

Kyle knew that, though he could not bring back the lives lost in Darth Krayt's assault, he could still save the planet itself.

* * *

"You shall not pass," Teal'c said as he cradled Darth Nihl's lightsaber cane.

Krayt stared at the man incredulously and then focused his attention on Teal'c's weapon. "That belonged to a servant of mine."

"Darth Nihl was his name, I believe," Teal'c said. "Master Katarn cut off his head and gave me this weapon. And he taught me how to use it."

Krayt made a summoning gesture to pull the lightsaber cane from Teal'c's fingers, but the Jaffa was expecting just that after many hours dueling with Katarn, and let himself be jerked forward slightly without losing his grip.

He activated the blade. "Are you too cowardly to fight a mere mortal, Sith lord?" Teal'c called.

Krayt activated his saber, and with a roar charged forward.

* * *

Kyle watched, floating in space, as the Antaran fleet died. Through the almost omniscient sensors of the Alteran outpost, he could see the frail, gray bodies of the Antarans pulled through hull breaches in their ships. He could sense the build-up of energies in the reactors of each vessel on the verge of exploding. It was at once beautiful and profoundly saddening. Each ship held hundreds of thousands of Antarans, and there had been a thousand such ships. Millions of advanced, sentient creatures died due to the sheer stupidity of conquest and war.

Below, the redirected drones continued to fight the advancing ash cloud, making progress in removing hundreds of tons of particulate matter from the air. He could not remove all the smoke, but if enough of the particulates were removed, it would make things a lot safer on the surface for everyone.

He turned his eyes back to the heavens and concentrated on making the probes continue as he willed. Only a few dozen Antaran vessels remained. The battle was almost over.

* * *

Teal'c wiped the blood from his split lip and stared at Krayt with grim determination. In a fair contest of strength and skill, Teal'c was almost able to hold his own. But fighting a Sith Lord was not a fair contest.

So far Teal'c had been choked, thrown, levitated to the ceiling and kicked hard enough to break three ribs. Krayt did not show a single mark for all the Jaffa's efforts.

"You are brave, little man, but stupid," Krayt said teasingly as Teal'c continued to bar the way to Kyle, who sat engrossed in a strange throne framed by light. It was, the Sith presumed, the weapon Anubis wanted so badly.

"You shall not pass," Teal'c said again defiantly as he roused himself for another flurry of blows. Krayt blocked, parried and slid the blows away without any show of effort, and with insulting ease swiped Teal'c's blade away and impaled the man with his own.

"I will let you keep your head, little man," Krayt whispered to Teal'c paling face. "But I will eat your heart when Katarn is dead."

"I will eat yours, when he has cut it out," Teal'c spat back. Then he fell backward off Krayt's blade. Beyond him, Colonel Carter and Daniel dropped to their knees and opened fire with their P-90 carbines. Krayt slashed his saber so quickly it formed a virtual shield against the weapons fire. He then jabbed out a hand, and the two defenders flew sprawling back into the chair room. Jacob lifted a Zat gun and fired, again only to have the fire deflected by the lightsaber.

Instead of Force pushing, Krayt pulled. Jacob Carter, and within him, Selmak the Tok'ra, watched as the red beam of light approached them. With the speed of thought, Selmak said to Jacob, _I shall miss you, my friend._

_And I you_, Jacob said. _Thank you for giving me a second chance to live, and for forcing me to make the most of it._

And then Jacob Carter and Selmak died as Darth Krayt cut off Jacob's head with an angry hiss.

"Dad!" Colonel Carter screamed, her eyes already moist with tears. She fired off another quick round with one hand while reaching for her grenades with the other when she felt an invisible hand grasp her neck.

The hand pulled her to her feet, and then off the ground. Krayt stood a meter in front of her, his saber still lit. "Are you ready to die now, little girl? Shall I have fun with you first?"

Suddenly Sam fell hard to the ground as Krayt flew backward against the far wall. The light behind them dimmed and the general lights in the chamber came on as Kyle Katarn stepped away from the chair and put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "The threat is gone. He's all that's left. And that is my battle as well."

She nodded and backed away to where Daniel was still trying to pick himself up.

"So you're the all mighty Darth Krayt," Kyle said. "Darth my ass. What would your father say if he saw you now? Or your mother?"

Krayt picked himself up from the wall and relit his saber. "They died many years ago," Krayt said. "At my hand."

"You say that as if it's something to be proud of," Kyle said. "Han was in his nineties. The man could barely lift a blaster and you slaughtered him. And your mother—Force help me, how could you do that to her? Your own mother?"

"She was a Jedi first, a mother second," Darth Krayt snarled. "She was always a mother second. We were always a lower priority for her."

Katarn nodded. "At least the truth comes out. Tell me, Anakin, are you going to insist on wearing that stupid mask, or are you going to fight me like a man, face-to-face?"

With an angry growl, Darth Krayt ripped off the verduun crab armor helmet and exposed the ancient, lined but still distinct features of Anakin Solo, one time Jedi Knight and master of all the Sith.

"You were always too sure of yourself, Katarn," Krayt barked. "But you're old now, despite your tricks to skip time. Like my namesake cutting down Obi-Wan Kenobi, another Anakin will cut down an old man who used to be a master."

"You're not a rosy-faced boy yourself any more, Anakin," Kyle said as he lit his purple saber. "I know Jacen's and Tahiri's deaths shook you, boy. Maybe more than any of us knew. But to turn into this…this caricature of a Sith is beyond morbid. How have you stayed alive?"

"The Sith have many secrets the Jedi never knew about," Anakin snarled. "Our alchemy can keep the body alive for decades beyond a normal lifespan. Mixed with stasis chambers, I could easily see another hundred years. But with a Gao'uld sarcophagus, I may see a thousand!"

"You won't see another," Katarn said. "I knew your grandfather, boy. And I'll tell you this. I'm may not be another Obi-Wan Kenobi, but you are most certainly no Darth Vader."

Carter was not in Santa Fe when Kyle faced Darth Nihl. She had no way of knowing what it meant for a Jedi Master to face a Dark Lord of the Sith. Daniel was there, however. "We need to get out of the way!" he urged.

Suddenly the room filled with lightening pouring from Krayt's hand. Kyle easily caught it with one hand and shot it back with the other, forming a conduit of himself. Walls shook under invisible forces as the two masters fought not just with blade, fist and foot, but with all the powers of the Force. Lights shone from nowhere, lightning flashed. Objects flew through the air at each, only to be deflected somewhere else.

The air tingled with the smell of ozone, as if a lightning storm were upon them.

The two opponents moved at times faster than Carter's eyes could follow, while the very next moment they would stand perfectly still, hands held up as if almost to palm each other. Each such still moment would end with each man being thrown from the other. Instantly battle would be joined again.

As the two fought, destroying everything in their midst, Carter glimpsed a strange blue fog near the rings at the base of the hole in the ice.

Her eyes snapped back at the sound of a cry, and her heart froze as she saw Darth Krayt standing over the now kneeling Kyle, a red lightsaber run through the Jedi's chest.

"So it ends for you, just like all the others," Krayt said. "You called me Anakin Solo. That name lost meaning for me a lifetime ago. This is the only real power—the power of death."

"Didn't Luke teach you anything, you stupid idiot?" Kyle gasped harshly. "I am a Jedi. I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

"Maybe, but it won't be here!" Krayt pulled out his saber, raised it for a killing blow, but then howled in agony as an unseen force threw him away from Katarn and into the throne chair. The Sith lord jumped back to his feet, favoring his side, to face this new assault.

Siana Delun stood before him, her blue eyes blazing from below a curtain of blue hair. To her right stood Max Evans and Liz Parker; to her left Isabel Evans and Michael Guerin. All five had their hands outreached, palms up.

"What idiocy is this?" Krayt demanded as lightning began playing around his fingers. "Do you think mere children could harm me?"

A massive torrent of blue energy lashed out at the children like a hundred whips. The whips snapped harmlessly against the force field created by Max Evans. When the lightning faded and the force field dropped, the five young people stood unaffected.

Still on his knees, with blood running down his chin, Kyle Katarn chuckled. "Take a good look, Anakin, at the future of the Jedi. Those who stand by my padawan are Antaran-human hybrids, but their power signature can be passed on. My padawan has it now, too. They are Jedi the likes of which history has never seen. You see your conquest of the galaxy as your destiny. When I look at them, I see you dead in the ground, and a glorious new future unfolding. It ends here and now."

"Never!" Krayt screamed as he lit his saber and charged.

Siana, Max, Liz, Isabel and Michael reached deep within that power each held in their hearts, funneled it through the Force as Siana had taught them all just in the past few days, and struck down the master of the Sith.

Darth Krayt; who many decades ago went by the name Anakin; who as a baby was held and loved by Leia Organa Solo and Han Solo; who as a young man was a famed and powerful Jedi instrumental in the war against the Vong; and who as a man stripped of youth and the love of his brother and wife during the war with the Vong, discovered within himself a hatred none ever knew existed; the same Darth Krayt stopped mid-stride and looked down at the gaping hole burned through his near-impenetrable crab armor six inches into his torso, and in that instant he realized that he had died. He would never bring peace and order to the galaxy. The same dream that seduced his grandfather and namesake to the Dark Side of the Force had now seduced Anakin Solo to darkness. Only, there was no Luke to guide him back to the light. There were no Masters to show him the folly of his ways.

There were instead five teenagers staring at him with expressions ranging from compassion to cold contempt. He stared back as he fell to his knees, and then face first to the floor.

"Master!" Siana said as Katarn fell. "Max, help!"

Max was there at her side, his hand hovering over Kyle's chest.

"If I were a true martyr," Kyle whispered, "I would say to let me pass into the Force so that you would be free to find your own futures." He grinned weakly. "But Teal'c told me I could not die until after I had tried Dutch chocolate ice cream with Girl Scout thin mint cookies. I don't know what that is, but he said it was worth it."

"It is," Max said with a grin as he began healing the Jedi master.

They all heard an angry snarl, and turned in surprise to see the Gao'uld Osiris standing in front of them with a Zat gun. "This weapon cannot be left to the Tau'ri!" she hissed.

Just as she finished the last word, they heard a thud, and the Gao'uld's eyes rolled up into her head. As she fell forward, they saw Teal'c holding Nihl's unlit lightsaber cane in his hand. "The Sith missed my symbiote," he said weakly. "And he left my head."

Teal'c knelt back down as Carter and Daniel both rushed to his side to render aid. The warrior allowed himself to be carried far enough to look down at Krayt. With his foot, he rolled the Sith over.

"I told him I would eat his heart when Master Katarn cut it out, but it does not appear he has a heart left." He looked at Siana and the others, and then with obvious pain but slow dignity, he bowed.

Siana, her blue eyes moist, returned his bow with a smile. The final battle of Earth was over.


	37. Breathe

Thanks to everyone for the reviews this time around. I'm glad my AU version of Krayt didn't throw anyone off too badly.

**Beth Weasley**--I'd read that the AU authors had a pretty clear goal for Anakin, but that George cut them off, which is why all the old NJO and Young Jedi books talk about Anakin's destiny, then he dies. As for it being almost over, rest assured, we have a lot more to go.

**Snowfur**--I was actually on the fence about Kyle dying, but he has a very important role coming up, so he had to live.

**jfr07**--I'm glady Anakin as Krayt didn't ruin it for you. I appreciate the kind words, and like I said to Beth, there's a lot coming.

**Author's Note**: It seems as is this story is coming to an end, but it is not. Heaven Falls was conceived originally as a sequel to **Gods of Dark and Light**. In that regard, Parts I & II serve to establish a Jedi presence on Earth. However, Parts III, and even more especially Parts IV and V deal with the Ori threat. Each Part is a self-contained story, but all are part of the whole. Not only is Heaven Falls NOT finished, we're not even halfway through. I hope all of you continue to read and enjoy.

Thank you!

Darth Marrs

**

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**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Breathe**

_Earth, The Day After_

How do you face disaster?

After the denial has passed and the worst you thought possible has happened, how do you find the energy to look up, take the next step and move on with your life?

As of January 24, 2002, India had a population of approximately 1,028,426,226 people. The world population was 6,224,150,112.

On the evening of Saturday, January 25, 2002 local time, India had a population of 23,246 people, all of whom were scattered along the far southern coasts of the subcontinent. By the time rescue operations were mounted by the international community that number had dropped to just 12,561.

The effect on the world of Darth Krayt's single act of malice was even more profound, though. The displacement of the Indian tectonic plate unleashed the greatest tsunamis seen in the history of modern humanity. A wall of water a thousand feet high swept over the islands of the South China Sea, erasing all traces of humanity from Malaysia and Indonesia. When the worst of the waves receded, entire cities had been swept away. Over 25 million people died in Malaysia alone, with another 4 million from Singapore, and an estimated ten million from Thailand. Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan were all destroyed, Burma was devastated by both fire and flood, and even as far inland as Laos and Vietnam, millions died.

On the other side of the Indian Ocean, Yemen and Oman were swept clean by the massive wall of water that shot over Arabia. All the nations of the Persian Gulf suffered both from the ash cloud and the flooding, not to mention the massive earthquakes. Kuwait, for instance, like Oman and Yemen, simply ceased to exist. All of East Africa suffered.

The northwest and north coasts of Australia were swept clean, with cities from Dampier to Darwin completely destroyed. Millions more died. In central Asia, the Himalayas and the Middle East, tens of millions more perished under the fallout of the impact points in Northern India. Although the ash cloud was miraculously halted over Eastern Africa and Eastern Europe, any country that fell under it was paralyzed, with hundreds of thousands of related deaths due either to heat, suffocation, or some combination of the two.

Even on the other side of the world, the impact was felt. Earthquakes rocked the Western Hemisphere from Rio Gallegos in Argentina to Anchorage, Alaska. Smaller tsunamis struck all along the West Coast, although the deaths were in the hundreds rather than thousands or hundreds of thousands. On the East Coast, a much smaller surge hit, causing wide-spread flooding in Florida and other coastal states, but deaths were minimal.

In the course of one day, the planet lost over a sixth of its population. The bodies of the dead, if laid head to toe, could circle the world over two hundred times. Of course, many of those bodies were beyond recovery. Many were, in fact, beyond even remembering. When an entire nation dies, all records are lost. It was not enough that over a billion people died; the evil of the Sith was so profound it also destroyed any history that they had ever existed.

As of January 31, 2002, the population of the planet earth had dropped from 6,224,150,112 to 4,858,992,546.

How does any one person, or for that matter, any one nation, comprehend numbers so large?

_Breathe_.

When Max Evans woke up the Monday after the battle, following the death of whole nations, it was to find his fiancée by his side. She was already awake, staring at him. He saw a tear pooled at the bridge of her nose, on the verge of dripping down to the pillow.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He whispered, though he did not know why.

In a husky, strained voice, she said: "Did you see the pictures?"

The pictures she spoke of showed the refugees from what was left of Pakistan and Afghanistan trudging slowly toward the Iraqi border. The blast that had destroyed India shattered all the nations around the subcontinent as well, though without the trauma of the fireball, which was shielded partially by the Himalayan Mountains.

The pictures showed not just civilians, but also large lines of American soldiers serving in Afghanistan, who now walked side-by-side with the very Taliban forces they had fought just days before. One particular picture showed a large, husky serviceman with a thick mustache carrying not only his weapon and backpack, but an Afghani boy of three on his shoulders and a bloody and unconscious five year old girl in his arms, while the children's mother walked beside the American crying in shock. It was that picture more than any, Max knew, that had kept the love of his life awake all night.

"Things will never be the same," Max said.

Liz nodded and wiped the tear away before it fell. "General O'Neill said the U.S. is diverting all military resources overseas to aid in relief and recovery efforts. Most of Europe is doing the same. I saw on CNN there's already talk of scrapping the old UN and creating a new one."

She stopped talking. Around them, the safe house in Colorado that had become their home creaked under the early morning cold. They could hear light footsteps moving down the stairs, and Max guessed it to be Siana. The Jedi woke up at dawn no matter how late her day was.

"Max?" Liz whispered.

He focused on her, as always drawn into the brown depths of her eyes. "Yes?"

"Were you scared?"

Max wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in. "The only time I was more scared was two years ago, when Agent Pierce said he would kill you if I didn't cooperate with him."

"I was scared," Liz confessed. "I was glad when Roberta and Rain said we wouldn't be able to transport to Antarctica. But then Kyle was able to destroy the Antaran ships and most of the ash cloud, and suddenly Roberta said we could go. She didn't even ask—she touched that pen of hers and suddenly we were there with that monster. I was so scared. I was ashamed."

"But you stood by us," Max told her as he kissed each eye. "You joined your power to ours. You're one of us now. And I will never be apart from you."

She nodded solemnly. "So, what are we going to do next month?"

"You mean in a week? On your eighteenth birthday?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to marry you, that's what."

She looked into his eyes and said: "Show me what you're going to do after that."

_Breathe_

The planet is still. Across the surface of the earth, for the first time since the inception of air travel, not a single aircraft is flying. Railways have been closed down. Few if any cars are on any roads from Kansas City to Beijing. The only people moving are the millions of refugees from the nations around India, trudging away. The direction is less important than the distance, and so they walk. Some to Iran and Iraq, some to China. But they just walk.

The rest of the world that survives, however, listens. In English, or in translations to every language spoken, the people of Earth listen for the first time to a single voice.

The voice speaks to them of lost innocence and deep mourning for the dead. The voice tells them that beings from beyond the stars fought a battle over Earth's skies, and through the heroics of members from the United States Air Force and two alien beings, an ancient device was found that was able to defeat the threat.

The people of Earth listen with gaping jaws and wide eyes. Many in the Americas dismiss it as a joke, but those in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, who still have access to television after the devastation, know instinctively the voice tells the truth.

"We are not alone," President William Charleston III summarizes. "We can no longer sit complacently by while the events of the larger universe pass us by. We have suffered uncountable loss these past few hours, but only by working together as a single people—a single _humanity_—can we ever hope to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.

"And that, my fellow citizens of Earth, is the one lesson we must take away from this: this can never happen again. Only by working together can we ever hope to achieve that goal. To all the leaders of the world, I hope you will join me soon so that we can move forward to the future."

_Breathe_

The sedan pulled up to the curb of the broken house in Newport News, Virginia, and stopped on the edge of a muddy street still littered with debris and seaweed. The whole town stank of rotting fish and worse.

Dana Scully climbed out of the car and leaned against the door, her hands covering her mouth. "William was staying here," she whispered as Fox Mulder came around the car to hold her. "William was here," she whispered again. She looked up at Fox. "Where is our son?"

"He's right here," a familiar voice said.

The two agents turned to see Senator Robert Kinsey, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, holding their eighteen-month old son. He was walking toward them from a stretch limo three blocks down the street. William's shock of red hair shone in the early morning light.

Beside the senator walked two large, imposing men in overcoats. One looked just like one of the supersoldiers killed in Roswell.

"Well, Agents, you seem to have won," the senator said. William began mewling in the senator's arms. "My master's fleet has been destroyed. Tell me, how did you do it?"

"We're not sure," Mulder admitted as he walked to the front of the car. "It was an alien device of some kind. Beyond that, I just don't know."

"Let me have my son," Scully said.

"I don't think so," Kinsey said with a waspish smile. "I have been working with the Antarans through the Syndicate for 30 years now. And when the Syndicate betrayed our masters, I helped oversee their destruction. That chain-smoking hypocrite Spender was the last of them. I don't know how he got to you in DC so soon after that damned Jedi crashed, but rest assured I took care of him shortly after."

"Please," Scully whispered, "please don't hurt my son."

"Hurt him?" Kinsey said with a harsh, pained laugh. "I'm not going to hurt him! I'm going to let my masters take him back to Antar to study him. They might hurt him—vivisect him, probably—but I won't. Don't worry, though, his death will mean the survival of a species. His DNA is unique. Don't you see why you two were abducted? You are the first truly hybridized humans to have a viable offspring. William's DNA can be transferred directly into the Antaran genome without rejection now. He will give their bodies an infusion of human physical strength and stamina to augment their already incredible minds. They will become the most powerful species in the galaxy, and they will be eternally grateful to me."

"So," Mulder said, "is this the part where we beg for your mercy?"

"No, I'm going to kill you no matter what, and begging is undignified."

Without warning, the supersoldiers on either side of the senator glowed bright white and then disappeared. Kinsey spun around to see two women pointing pens, one in her fifties, one a young-looking thirty. With a growl, he reached into his coat pocket for his own weapon when he felt something cold and round against the back of his head.

"Give me my baby you son of a bitch," Scully growled.

"I'd listen to her," Mulder advised. "You do not want to make this woman mad."

"If you shoot me, you might hurt the baby," Kinsey pointed out carefully.

"He'll heal," Scully said. "You won't."

Kinsey twitched. So did Scully.

As the former senator from Ohio began tumbling to the accompaniment of William's terrified screams, Mulder carefully plucked the infant from the dead man's arms and handed him over to his partner.

Scully dropped the gun, wrapped both arms around the boy, and fell to the filthy, smelly street to rock him. She unconsciously began to sing her favorite song, "Joy to the World."

Mulder walked up to Roberta Lincoln and Rain Robinson and shook their hands. "You were tracking the Senator?"

"Just like you and the President asked," Roberta said.

"And you heard?"

"Every word. We'll get a copy of the recording to the Justice Department by this afternoon." She leaned over and gave Mulder a hug. Rain did the same. "Go to her," Roberta finally said. "She needs you. And trust me, love, you need her too."

"I know," Fox said. He walked back to Scully and their son, knelt beside them, and held them both. When he happened to look back over the fallen body of Kinsey, the two women were gone.

_Breathe_

"So what's next?" Samantha Carter said to Jack O'Neill as the two sat on the edge of the fishing pond behind the general's log cabin.

"I'm flying out to DC tomorrow," O'Neill said. "You're in charge while I'm gone, by the way."

"Gee, thanks."

Jack shrugged. "Anyway, we're looking at a pretty large-scale redeployment of our international forces. And we're having trouble with Iraq and North Korea still. Saddam's refusing to allow refugees to pass through and so there are about two million people on the Iran side of the border unable to get out. And North Korea is saying the whole thing was a plot by the U.S. to destabilize the world. They're threatening war."

Carter shook her head. After a minute or so, she said: "My dad's dead."

Jack nodded. "I know."

She took a deep breath. "I should be grateful. He should have died years ago from the cancer. But then Selmak healed him and gave him a second chance." She shook her head. "You know, it didn't even seem real. I mean, it happened so fast. He was just standing there, shooting the zat, and then this Krayt character waves his hand, dad goes flying through the air, and he cuts…" She paused, then took another breath. "Jack, I'm so tired."

"Then resign."

The answer shocked her into silence. She stared at him, as if she couldn't believe what he had said. He did not look at her, though. The general kept his eyes on the water as he cast out a reel. There were no fish in the water. He never enjoyed catching them, just fishing for them.

"Resign?"

"Sure," Jack said with a shrug. "You could still work as a civilian. And you'd make a whole heck of a lot more money. You know how much they paid that Janeway lady you worked with in New Mexico? Beats the snot out of the Air Force pay grade. Hell, I'd insist on keeping you in the SGC, unless you wanted to take over operations at Area 51. I've been told the job may be open soon since Jackson Roykirk resigned."

She continued staring at him, searching for something. And finally, she found it: an almost imperceptible twitch in his right eye that no one else could possibly have noticed. "If I resigned my commission," she said slowly, "then fraternization rules wouldn't apply, would they?"

Jack shrugged and cast his reel again.

Slowly Carter turned and stared out over the water. She sat in silence for the longest time, searching for the right words. Finally realizing there were no right words, she simply spoke. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"For a while now," O'Neill admitted.

"And you love me too, don't you." It wasn't really a question.

He shrugged. "Maybe."

Sam fought a smile. "You know, every man who has come into my life since joining the Stargate has died."

"I haven't," O'Neill said. "Besides, if you're that worried about it, go join Area 51."

"Who would I answer to?"

"Some general who has no idea what's going on there."

Her grin split wider. "You're leaving the SGC, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

She stood up, took three steps, and then knelt down before the general. This time he did not evade her look—he met it squarely. "You're a lot older than I am," she noted.

"Think of me like a fine wine," he said.

"You ever drink wine?"

"Not if I can help it."

Grinning uncontrollably now, she reached up, put both arms around his neck, and whispered, "Then I formally resign my commission."

"Resignation accepted," Jack whispered back.

_Breathe_.


	38. The Future Borne

Snowfur--I appreciate your reading and the reviews! There is a whole lot more to come. Part III introduces a new enemy in the Ori, and confronts the last remaining Antaran agent on Earth. It'll be a fun ride, I hope.

Gogolu--Thank you for reading a for the review. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**

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**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Future Borne**

_Synchronous Orbit With Jovian moon Himalia, __11,480 kilometers from Jupiter, Wednesday, January 29, 2002, 5:33 a.m. GMT (Monday, January 27, 10:33 p.m. MST)_

Commander Ostrael handed the flimsiplast report to Captain Shintre as the two stood on the secondary command deck of the _Dragon's Claw._ The primary bridge was unavailable, and based on preliminary reports from the repair teams, was likely destroyed beyond repair.

"Final casualty reports," Ostrael said tiredly. Like Shintre, the man had not slept in thirty-five hours.

Shintre stared at the number with a sense of shock. "So many?"

"The enemy return-fire after we depleted our hardpoint armaments was vicious," Ostrael explained. He rubbed blood-shot eyes. "Captain, we may still lose the ship. This gas giant is releasing significant amounts of radiation and our ray shielding power is down to single-digits. Our hyperdrive system was already scavenged from our escort ships because of the crossing to this galaxy, and has been so thoroughly destroyed that it requires a complete replacement. We do not have one. And we're down to a crew of just twenty thousand. We don't have the staff to make any significant repairs, much less maintain the ship."

"You think we should abandon ship?" Shintre asked. "And go where?"

"The Tau'ri home world obviously has natural resources. And we could bring our atmospheric scrubbers with us to aid in rebuilding. It's only a minute by hyperspace from here—we could ferry the whole crew in shuttles and missile boats in just an hour or so."

Shintre shook his head. "Let me think about it, Commander."

Ostrael nodded curtly. "Yes, Captain. Thank you, sir." He turned with military crispness and walked to his post. As he arrived, the ship's clarions activated again. Shintre ran to join him. "What's the situation?"

"We have an unknown ship in the gas giant's system," Ostrael reported. "Forty-thousand klicks out and coming fast. They will be here in…"

A loud voice burst through the destroyer's speakers. "Attention Imperial Star Destroyer. This is Jedi Master Kyle Katarn speaking to you from the bridge of the Asgard warship Baliskir II. Darth Krayt is dead. Both the Antaran and Gao'uld fleets have been destroyed. You are ordered to surrender immediately. In return for a peaceful surrender and your ongoing cooperation, the people of Earth are prepared to offer limited amnesty and settlement on their world. If you refuse, we will drive you into the gas giant."

"Well," Shintre said as Commander Ostrael joined him, "that appears to make the decision easier." He nodded to a nearby communications ensign. "Jedi Master Katarn, this is Captain Han Shintre of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Dragon's Claw_. We offer our unconditional surrender and request aid. We have suffered massive casualties and have lost all propulsion systems."

"We know," Katarn said. "The Asgard will tow you back to Earth's moon, and from there we will give you coordinates to ferry your people down. Keep in mind your ship just wiped out a large chunk of the planet's population, so medical care will be sparse and short coming. But we will allow you to treat yourselves to the best of your ability."

"All things considered," Ostrael noted to his captain, "that's more generous than we would be."

"That's because we were controlled by the Sith," Shintre said, nodding. "Very well, Master Katarn. We thank you for your mercy and await further communication."

* * *

_Las Vegas, Nevada, Little White Wedding Chapel, Saturday, February 2, 2002, 12:32 a.m. MST_

Thirty-two minutes after turning eighteen and thirty-one minutes after obtaining the marriage license, the exact time it took to walk from the Clark County Clerk's office to the Little White Wedding Chapel, Elizabeth Claudia Parker declared her love to Max Evans before God, Elvis, two Jedi, and all their friends.

Agents Mulder and Scully were able to attend the wedding with their son in Scully's arms. Although General O'Neill was unable to attend, Dr. Samantha Carter, the newly appointed Director of Research at the Grooms Lake, Nevada facility, was there. Teal'c and Daniel Jackson were also able to attend.

Sitting in the front row were Liz and Max's parents, all four of whom were weeping. Isabel, Maria and Siana served as bridesmaids, while Michael, Jim Valenti and Kyle Katarn, of all people, served as groomsmen.

Even Tess was there, her face still as she watched her husband from another life marry another woman. The young Antaran hybrid felt no resentment, however, as she cradled Max's son in her arms. Only loss. She allowed one tear and one tear only to roll down her cheek, and then wiped it away. She was not going to let anyone see her cry.

After the vows were said, the whole party moved to a reserved suite in the penthouse of the Bellagio Hotel and Resort where cake was served. No alcohol was made available for two very good reasons—one, none of the Roswell kids were 21 yet, and even if they were, past experience showed how powerfully Antaran hybrids (at least Max and Michael) were affected by alcohol. Michael Guerin's one drinking binge, for example, left him levitating with a temperature of 112 for five hours. He had had one beer. Max lost all control for hours and almost passed out after one sip of rum.

The lack of alcohol didn't stop the party, however.

Finally, at 2 a.m., the last guests arrived. Roberta Lincoln and Rain Robinson had been busy, traveling around the world acting as unofficial messengers for the White House in organizing an international summit in two months' time. But they still found the time to come. Their gift to Max and Liz made the Evans and Parker parents look on in puzzlement, but Max and Liz both grin.

"It's set for the St. Croix," Rain said to the happy couple, gushing as she handed them the training servo. The pen-like device only activated the communication channels and the transporter. "We checked it out and it came through Judgment Day in pretty good shape. Your room's been reserved and paid for, and they're expecting you."

The two gave her a hug, and then went around the room making sure all the guests were thanked.

Kyle Katarn had managed to move to the door, so he was actually the last person they saw. Both hugged him, and he hugged them in return. Then he held them both out at arm's length and looked at them seriously.

"Enjoy this time," he told them. "Cherish it. And when you return, be ready. This is just the beginning for you."

"We know," Max said. "And we'll be ready."

Kyle nodded. "I know you will. May the Force be with you both."

"And may the Force be with you, Master," Liz said with an infectious smile.

The two stepped outside into the hall. A moment later, as the guests followed them out, they saw nothing but a wisp of odd blue smoke.

End Part 2


	39. Part III: The New World Order

**Gogolu**--Thank you, I appreciate the review. And it's not done yet!

**Snowfur**--Thank you, yes, I allowed lots of happy to make up for the horror. And, as promised, Part III continues without interruption. I hope you continue to enjoy.

Author's Note: Please note the four year jump in dates.

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****Part Three: Unification**

The fugitives, fire from the sky on the pikes:  
Conflict near the ravens frolicking,  
From land they cry for aid and heavenly relief,  
When the combatants will be near the walls.

Century III, Quattrain 3

Prophecies of Nostradamus

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**Chapter Thirty-Nine: The New World Order**

_Kallana, Confederation of Free Jaffa, August 18, 2006 Earth Calendar_

"You show no fear, Latal."

The Jaffa named Latal shrugged. "He is one man. What is there to fear?

The woman's worry was written plainly on her face. "He promised retribution if we did not bow to their gods upon his return."

"The Jaffa have shed too much blood to replace one false god with another," Latal said. "We have made our decision and we will tell him."

The group of Jaffa turned to the bald man standing before the flowing blue surface of the Stargate. He chanted as they approached: "Sanctus of all Ori. Sanctumus Ori."

Latal called to the stranger: "Have you come alone?"

"The Ori are with me always," the prior said calmly. "Have you have read from the Book of Origin?"

"We have."

"What say you to the promise of the Ori?"

"We will hear no more of false gods. Go now and we will spare your life."

"You speak for all?"

Latal nodded resolutely after looking at his comrades. "We do."

For the briefest moment, Latal thought he saw a moment of genuine sadness on the prior's chalky face. But the moment went as quickly as it came. "One way or another," the prior said, "this world will serve its purpose."

The crystal at the tip of his white spear took on a brilliant white glow. Recognizing a threat, Latal swung his staff weapon about. "Jaffa!" he shouted defiantly.

He and the other Jaffa around him opened fire, but their shots struck a field of some kind just centimeters from the prior. When they finally realized their shots had no effect and stopped firing, the prior lifted his staff and then slammed it to the ground. The crystal flared with white light as he pointed it forward. Suddenly, the Jaffa flew into the air, and continued flying with unbearable velocity. When they eventually landed, they were already dead, their bones crushed by going from 0 to 1,800 kilometers an hour in less than half a second.

"Hallowed are the Ori," the prior said as he looked down and began reading from the Book of Origin.

* * *

_Estes Park, Colorado, Friday, August 18, 2006 (4 Commonwealth Era [CE), 1:45 p.m. MST_

Mrs. Laura Sontag pointed for the third time at the flow chart and stared expectantly at the room full of bored sixth-graders. "You have no idea how fast the world around you is changing, but someday you'll tell your own kids that you were there when the new world was created.

"The United Nations was formally dissolved just one year ago. On your birthday, Kevin. And when it went away, almost all the nations of the world formally joined the United Earth Commonwealth, a new type of government for the whole planet. That means the President of the United States can't go to war against another country even if congress wanted him to, because the UEC would stop him. It means we have a unified world government for the first time ever in the history of the world, with world-wide laws that supersede national, state or local laws. It means the world that I grew up in is gone. And it's happening right now, before your eyes!"

Bart Kriker, a loud, obnoxious child whose father made millions playing football while managing to go through life reading at a 5th grade level, raised his hand. "And there are aliens now too, huh?"

Laura sighed. It always came back to the aliens. "Yes, there are aliens on Earth now, and they are our friends."

"Can we see one?" Bart demanded.

"Probably not," Laura said.

The door opened and a student aide stepped in. "Sorry, Ms. Sontag, but it's Hannah's turn," the girl said.

Laura looked to the back of the room at a head of beautiful strawberry blonde hair bent over a book. "Hannah, can you go to the counselor's office, please?"

Students were going to the counselor's office every twenty minutes. The entire class had already been tested, save Hannah, who by the alphabetic virtue of having the last name of Volper, was last.

Without a word, Hannah stood and walked quickly out of the room. The other students watched her.

Hannah Volper was a newly turned 12. Her beautiful red hair fell in loose curls around a shapely neck. She had already begun developing curves that made the pre-adolescent boys around her nervous andthe girls jealous, and she had an intrinsic beauty about the porcelain purity of her face that was almost breath-taking, as witnessed by the way every student watched her walk out.

At the same time, however, she was quiet and unassuming almost to the point of invisibility. She had few enemies, but at the same time had few friends, much to her wealthy parents' mystification. She never made anything less than an A, except in physical education in which she averaged a B.

Laura Sontag was, in a way, sorry that kids like Bart kept her from paying more attention to what had to have been an extraordinary young woman.

A few minutes later, Hannah Volper walked quietly into the counselor's office and sat down quickly in the chair in front of the counselor's desk.

The woman behind the desk was staring at a computer screen over which scrolled dozens of names. She had over-large glasses with an ugly brown frame and her wiry blonde hair was thinning in the back. She smelled faintly of cheap perfume and possibly wine.

"Hello Hannah," the counselor said. "I know we haven't met before. My name is Sandra Drayhart. And I'm going to give you a very quick test. You don't have to do a thing."

"What's it for?"

"That's a little hard to explain," Ms. Drayhart said, which in Hannahh's mind was a confession of ignorance.

Ms. Drayhart was a twenty-four year veteran of public education waiting to reach retirement age so she would never have to be around another snot-nosed brat again. She was a teacher once, before her principal decided she would better serve the school by not ever being in a classroom again. She did not care about Hannah any more than she did her neighbor's annoying little dog.

With a sigh, Drayhart took an odd device, which was about the size of a digital music player or flash drive, and put it on the back of Hannah's hand. Hannah felt an odd buzzing, then a tiny prick.

"That's it," Drayhart said as she plugged the device into her computer via a built-in USB II port. "Wasn't hard at all, was it?"

"It pricked me," Hannah said. "Why would it do that? Was it taking a skin or blood sample?"

Drayhart had so far tested 193 children at the Middle School. Hannah was the first to question anything. "I honestly don't know," she admitted. "The state Department of Ed said to administer the test. I don't know what they do with it."

"Okay," Hannah said. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, of course."

Hannah left, Drayhart sighed, and the data from the testing device automatically routed itself through the school's government broadband internet connection to a server in Boulder, and from there to an Asgard-built Beta 6 artificial intelligence that scanned the data and similar data from schools all across the country and world. The Beta 6 AI noted several key factors in Hannah's blood sample, and sent it on to the appropriate party.

* * *

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Friday, August 18, 2006 (4 CE), 7:32 p.m. MST_

Kyle Evans blinked his huge dark eyes, reached out both hands, and the cup of apple juice very gently lifted into the air of its own accord from the edge of the coffee table, floated two feet off the ground for about two meters, and then spilled onto the head of Claudia Evans, Kyle's two-year-old sister. Claudia promptly expressed her displeasure at such a turn of events by screaming at the top of her lungs and throwing her toy pan at Kyle.

It was Kyle's misfortune that the toy pan was made of metal, and Claudia's throw was preternaturally accurate. The pan hit him square in the nose. Instantly, the newly turned two-year-old and three-year-old were both howling at the top of their lungs.

The third child in the room, four-year-old Zan, first covered his ears in exaggerated irritation then turned the TV up to cover the noise. On the one-inch thick, meter-square ion-display TV, the Wiggles were dancing with a CGI Asgard. The program was part of a Commonwealth initiative to expose children at an early age to the idea of aliens being friendly.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Liz muttered as she walked in from the kitchen with a towel thrown over her shoulder. "Zan, please turn the TV down."

Zan pouted but did as she asked. The now empty cup flew from its resting place beside Claudia into Liz's hand while the offending pan returned to the toy kitchen set against the wall almost as if Mary Poppins had entered the room.

Just then Max came in from the office. "What happened?"

"Your children were fighting again," Liz said with a huff. "With the Force."

"Why are they my children when they fight, but your children when they want to snuggle?"

"Because I'm the Mom, and I said so," Liz said. She stopped and took a deep breath. "Max, do you realize that I turned twenty-one this year and I am a mother of two?"

"I'm twenty-one too," Max said defensively. "And I was there when they were born, so I know about the kids. And I have a four-year-old. How do you think that makes me feel?" He leaned down and picked up Claudia, who turned sobbing into his chest and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. Seeing his sister as the center of attention, Kyle leapt across the floor and grabbed Max's leg, demanding to be picked up as he cried.

Zan turned the TV up again.

Liz stared at her family, still wanting to be mad or depressed or whatever it was she wanted to feel, but they were so…adorable! Max looked just as forlorn and helpless as the kids.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked again.

Max gave his best Tom Cruise grin and said, "Love us? Bathe us?" Zan moaned from behind them. "Yes, it's bath time," Max said insistently. "And Claudia needs it. That's not just apple juice I smell." From the office he heard his computer beeping at him with an alert notice. It was not a critical warning, though, and Claudia really did need cleaning, so like any good father he kept his attention on his kids.

* * *

Han Shintre, former Imperial Captain of the Star Destroyer _Dragon's Claw_, studied Dr. Samantha Carter O'Neill with a carefully neutral expression. "I have cooperated fully and done everything asked," he said. 

"Han, please sit down," Dr. O'Neill asked again.

Shintre stood at military attention in Sam's spacious Ruby Valley office building in Nevada. The former nature preserve had been reclassified as the Commonwealth Relocation Project and now housed over twenty thousand former Imperial personnel and another fifteen thousand researchers, scientists and military police. An entire city had popped up, in fact. Except the former Imperials were quiet and fearful, fully aware of the harm they had done to their new host planet.

Shintre especially felt responsible, as senior officer, and had taken upon himself to perform any disciplinary actions required among his crew, which was very little.

However, the Imperials were not left alone. Their engineering and scientific expertise in areas of technology thousands of years more advanced than that of Earth was recognized and tapped into immediately. It was because of Shintre's executive officer, Ostrael, that Toyota and Chevrolet now had the blueprints and means of creating true hovercars and sleds, both of which would be made available to mass markets by 2011 using hovercoils manufactured exclusively in Ruby Valley.

But there was more to it, and both Shintre and O'Neill knew it.

"Captain, please do sit."

Shintre sighed and sat primly at the edge of the chair. His English was coming along very well—the man was a diligent study, just as Sam knew more than a smattering of Basic.

"You're aware that the Commonwealth defense charter was signed last month in France during the UEC ratification ceremony," she began. "The Earth Defense Force has been formally reorganized into the United Earth Commonwealth Defense Force."

"I am aware of that, Doctor O'Neill."

"Are you also aware that my husband has been placed in command of the CDF Fleet?"

"Of that I was not aware. Congratulations are in order, I suppose."

O'Neill smiled. In many ways, Shintre reminded her of her husband, Admiral Jack O'Neill. _"Admiral?" he had complained when the Earth Defense Force tapped him for a command position. "I'm a general, not an admiral!"_

Shintre, she had learned over her four years of working with him, was a man of intense personal honor. He genuinely regretted the attack on India—Dr. Frazier even went so far as to recommend he take sleeping pills and antidepressants to help with his nightmares. It was that sense of shame and remorse that made him so very formal whenever he spoke to Dr. O'Neill or any of her research colleagues.

And yet, he was also fiercely protective of his people. All in all, she admired the man. Her admiration was in large part why he stood before her now. After all, she had the ear of the Admiral of the Fleet of the Commonwealth Defense Force.

"We would like to offer you and any of your people who wish it formal United States citizenship," O'Neill said.

Shintre sat perfectly still, his face unreadable.

"This offer was made by the President Hayes after consulting with Prime Minister Charleston of the United Earth Commonwealth, and with my personal recommendation. As you said, you've cooperated fully and done everything asked, and more. Your leadership of your people has been inspiring, frankly. Working with you has been a genuine pleasure."

"If I understand correctly, Dr. O'Neill, citizenship also entails being subject to your laws."

O'Neill nodded with the hint of a smile. She opened a manila folder and removed a gilded sheet of paper and handed it to him. Shintre had been among the first to learn to read and speak English, and did so now very quickly.

He looked up, his jaws slightly agape. "This was issued by the Prime Minister regardless of your response to the offer of citizenship," O'Neill explained. "We reviewed the command recordings taken from the _Dragon Claw's_ bridge and you were clearly following the orders of a Dark Lord of the Sith. We also reviewed the recording of you later defying that Sith at great cost to yourself and your men. In consideration of that, the Prime Minister has issued you a full pardon."

"And my crew?"

"For them as well."

He bowed his head for a moment as he clutched the paper. Sometimes, O'Neill wished she had the ability to sense other emotions the way Katarn or Siana could. But even without the Force, she could see a storm of emotion brewing in Shintre.

"We do not deserve this," he said when he finally looked up. His cheeks were dry, but his eyes were red.

"Maybe, maybe not. But it's yours. As for citizenship—it will come with a price, Captain. The price will be service. Of all the people on this planet, you are uniquely qualified to command a space craft. If you choose to become a citizen of this planet that is exactly what you will do."

He blinked, stunned. "One of your command carriers?"

"The _Odyssey_ will begin its shakedown cruise in a week," she said. "We need a captain. Commander Ostrael will also be approached regarding fleet duty. But when discussion began, your name emerged as a very possible candidate."

"But you have other ship's captains."

"None with your unique training," O'Neill said. "Master Katarn explained what Imperial navy training is like. Your entire crew would be made up of young officers ready to learn from your expertise and experience. The _Odyssey_ would not just be the newest and most powerful of our ships, it will be the primary teaching vessel for a new cadre of Commonwealth officers. Now that we have a functioning shipyard, we will be producing more of these ships, and we will need to establish training protocols my husband and Master Katarn both believe you would be instrumental in shaping."

She leaned back. "This is all assuming, of course, that you wish to accept the offer of citizenship."

She saw the hungry gleam in his eye, and knew Katarn had been right. _"Spacers want to be in space," the Jedi had told her. _

"I cannot speak for my entire crew, of course," Shintre said. "But as for myself, I am deeply honored, and humbled, by this offer. I accept, and thank you."


	40. Higher Powers

**Darth Malleus**—Thank you, I will. We're starting on Part III, which begins the Ori war while finishing up some lingering issues with the first two parts. In a way, the real story is just getting started. Thanks for reading!

**Snowfur**—True religious fanatics can't leave people alone. They feel it is their mission in life to convert the "lost". Their motivation may even be considered altruistic. They are willing to die, or to kill, to save those they consider lost. Just pray they never consider you lost. ;)

Thank you both for reading and for the reviews. This next chapter was actually part of Chapter 39 originally, but it grew so long I cut it in half. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Forty: Higher Powers**

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Friday, August 18, 2006 (4 CE), 8:02 p.m. MST_

Delvin Ostrael stood at the door of the Ruby Valley fitness center gymnasium and watched in silent appreciation as a Jedi danced.

The former Imperial commander and second officer of the _Dragon's Claw_ was not completely unfamiliar with Force Users. But the Imperial Knights he had known trained in essential combat. Every move of their training was dictated by the imperative of protecting the Emperor and killing the enemy. The Sith meanwhile concentrated on killing and murder.

Siana Delun held no such imperatives. As a Jedi, she dedicated her life to the greater good of the galaxy. Her training was not driven by a need to kill, but rather a desire to perfect herself in order to protect others.

The blue-headed woman spun with blinding speed, lashing her leg out at the exact same spot with each rotation, before launching herself into a flying arc. She landed in a perfectly executed roll that ended with a quick thrust of her purple lightsaber. It was the first time she had ignited the blade since Ostrael happened to wander by the otherwise deserted training dome.

Once lit, the blade began moving with such speed it looked to Ostrael's eyes as if she were surrounded by a nimbus of purple light.

Then she did something not even a Jedi should have been able to do. Siana shot off the exercise mat into the air. At first Ostrael thought it was another incredible Jedi leap, except that she did not go down. She continued up, her speed decreasing, until she floated just under the rafters of the high roof. She stayed there, looking around with wide blue eyes. She did not seem to be levitating as the greatest Jedi masters could do. She seemed almost to be flying.

It was then she saw him, though no surprise showed. For all he knew, she had sensed his approach long before he ever saw her.

Slowly, she floated back to the exercise mat, where she deactivated her lightsaber and tucked it into the black sash around her waist that all the Jedi and padawans appeared to wear now.

"It's not polite to spy," she said in Basic.

"I did not intend to spy," he answered. He straightened and then gave her a Corellian bow, hands to either side, one leg forward. "That was the most extraordinary thing I have ever seen, Master Jedi. I did not know even Jedi could do such things."

He saw a dark blush run up her cheeks from her chin. "It is something unique to the Jedi here on Earth," she said.

He watched her intently, suddenly caught by eyes of such an intense shade of blue they seemed to shine with their own light. Ostrael knew from her blue hair that she had at least one Borali parent, since very few humans had such a shade of hair naturally. The hair and eyes, though, were to him merely like jewels in a porcelain mask that was already beautiful enough.

She blushed even more intensely, and he realized she must have sensed his thoughts. He felt his own cheeks redden. "I am sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't…"

"Your thoughts are your own, it was not my place to intrude," she said quickly. She started walking toward the door, but paused before leaving. "They were not unpleasant thoughts, though." Then she was gone.

Delvin Ostrael sighed deeply before he began his own set of exercises. When he was certain he was alone, he removed a black cylinder from his loose exercise clothes and lit a silver lightsaber as he began his own version of the Jedi katas. His movements were sharp and precise, designed to protect an Emperor and kill the enemy.

* * *

_Kheb, Free Jaffa Territories, Saturday, August 19, 2006 (4 CE)_

Daniel Jackson walked through the primeval forest in contemplative silence. Although he still wore the old US Stargate uniform, even down to the green jacket he wore when he first visited this planet years ago, he was no longer directly involved with the Stargate Program.

He was actually Professor Emeritus of Xenoanthropology at the Commonwealth University in France. An accredited school of exactly one year, CU now had an annual enrollment of over sixty thousand students from all over the world with specialized courses of study in alien sciences, engineering and the newly classified field of studying the many humanoid races that seemed common across at least two galaxies.

This last trip through the Stargate was a gift from General Landry.

"So why am I here again?" the major said.

Daniel looked back at Major John Shepherd with a wan smile. "Three reasons. One, Landry wouldn't let me go without an SGC escort; two, you failed your blood test; and three, you just happened to walk into his view when he was looking for someone to escort me," he said.

"Okay, I understood two of those." Nearby, a flock of familiar yet alien birds took flight at the sound of the two aliens. "You drag me all the way to this alien rock to tell me I failed a blood test?" Then Shepherd paused. "Hey, wait a minute! How could I fail my drug test? The strongest thing I take is beer!"

"It's a different sort of test," Jackson said. "Remember the screening blood test all military and government personnel were required to take?"

Shepherd gawked. "Dr. Jackson, are you seriously trying to tell me I'm an alien from another planet?"

"Another planet?" Jackson blinked behind his glasses. "No, I know you're American. And you're not an alien. You just have an interesting gene marker, that's all. I have it too. Even Jack-er, I mean, Admiral O'Neill, has it."

"Say again?"

The two men had been walking as they spoke, and it was at that moment that they broke through the line of trees onto a distinctively Eastern-style structure that looked for all intents and purposes like a Buddhist temple. To complete the image, a man with Asiatic features and close-cropped hair stood waiting for them dressed in a red and tan Buddhist robe. He held his hands together and bowed. Shepherd did his best to emulate the bow.

Daniel returned the bow with much more grace. "You're not dead," he said by way of greeting.

"Neither are you," the monk said with a quirk of his lips. "In another realm of possibility, you had died and joined Oma among the Ascended. That path never unfolded. You are here to find a new path."

Daniel nodded and allowed the monk to lead them through the otherwise abandoned temple. They came to an open door, where the monk slipped off his slippers. Daniel removed his boots, and with little choice, Shepherd did the same.

The two Tau'ri took their seats across a small stretch of sand from where the monk settled into Lotus position.

"Five years ago, I came to this world with my teammates," Daniel began. "I was looking for the Harcesis Child. You showed me how to do many miraculous things with my mind. Lighting candles, moving objects. Then, when Apophis came, you and Oma told me those things were not real, that you were doing them for me to teach me a lesson."

The monk listened, his lips still quivering as if on the verge of open laughter.

Daniel also smiled and ignored Shepherd's continuing confusion. "It wasn't a trick, though, was it? It really was me doing those things. Because either you, or Oma, opened my mind to the Force."

The monk laughed then. A happy laugh. Then the face shifted, as did the body. Although Shepherd jumped to his feet and backed away, Daniel remained seated and watched calmly as the monk's body shimmered with glowing light and became Oma Desala.

"In many ways, Daniel, I am sorry your path diverged from what we foresaw," she said, albeit warmly. "I shall have to wait a while longer for your company."

"Why the subterfuge?" Daniel asked. "If you knew the Jedi would be coming to our galaxy, why hide the Force from me?"

Oma smiled like a mother at a child. "Oh Daniel, we are not all-seeing. None of us could have predicted the arrival of the lost children back in this galaxy. When that Jedi landed on Earth, the realms of all the higher beings shuddered. Whole continuums came into existence in the blink of an eye as history realigned itself into a path none of us could ever have predicted. I did not tell you then because I did not know."

"And now?"

Her smile faded. "The Ascended planes are in turmoil, Daniel. The Ascended of Kyle Katarn's galaxy do not share the same values as those of us in this galaxy. They are in many ways like the Ori they fought decades ago, in that they used their living Jedi as receptacles of their greater power. The Ascended of this galaxy resist this concept. But a few of us recognize that a threat is coming, and we can no longer pretend to be above it. And so, my dear friend, your mind will be closed no longer."

Daniel closed his eyes and nodded. "I can feel it." He looked at Shepherd, who was staring from one person to the other with a confused expression. "And my friend, here?"

"The Alterans crossbred with some of the humans while we were here," Oma said. "Those descendents who carry our blood have the potential to be Jedi, just as Kyle and his brethren are also all descended from the Ancients who were lost in his galaxy many thousands of years before."

Daniel nodded and took a deep breath. "The Ori are coming, aren't they?"

Oma nodded. "They are here, and more will be coming soon."

"Will you help us?"

She suddenly looked around. "My time is short. Use the Force, Daniel. Master it as a Jedi. The Force is the key, in this galaxy and every other. Save your world, and in so doing, you will save the future of this galaxy."

All three heard a crack of thunder overhead, and with only that much warning they were no longer alone. Oma turned to the intruder with a stern expression. "Your kind is not welcome here."

The newcomer appeared to be a man in his forties, with thin black hair and a Romanesque nose. His lips pouted with a permanent sneer. "My kind? Oh little Oma, you and your little friends are just children in a much larger playground than you can imagine." The newcomer turned to Jackson. "Tell me, puny little human, do you really think you can fight a race of gods? Has your arrogance exceeded your grasp so very far?"

"The Goa'uld asked the very same question," Daniel said, standing to face the newcomer.

The man sneered and laughed with open contempt. "The Goa'uld were mere insects, dealing with technology stolen from superior races. They are nothing compared to the Ori. Not even your precious Force can save you."

"Are you suggesting we give up?"

The intruder stepped forward until his long nose hovered just over Jackson's glasses. "Yes, that's it. Give up. Go and hide in your caves like the good little homosapiens you are. Maybe the Ori will ignore you, or maybe they will merely enslave you and let you live on as faithful, mindless servants to feed their power."

"Enough, Q!" Oma hissed.

The creature called Q backed away, smiling a feral smile. "Run away, little human. Run away to your mommy. Mommy will make the monsters go away." He made an exaggerated pouting face, lower lip thrust out. Then he shrugged. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mommy isn't allowed to interfere. Too bad."

"Neither are you!" Oma hissed. "Leave. Now!"

Q snapped his fingers, and was gone. Oma turned to Daniel and spared a thin smile.

"Who was that?" Daniel asked.

"A member of one of the many continuums that were disrupted by the appearance of the Jedi on Earth," Oma said. Her smile turned faintly said. "Remember what I said, Daniel. The Force is the key." Then she, too, was gone.

"Okay then," Shepherd said. "What the hell was that about?"

Daniel patted the major's shoulders. "It's about shifting alliances. Congratulations, we've just been drafted into the Commonwealth Special Investigations Unit."

* * *

_Cuiaba, Brazil, Saturday, August 19, 2006 (4 CE), 7:21 p.m. Brazil West Standard Time (BRWST)_

"Are you ready?" Colonel Phillip Green asked.

The question hung openly in the dingy air of the fetid bar on the outskirts of the central Brazilian city of Cuiaba. A booming metropolitan region of almost a million people, Cuiaba was the perfect place to start the New World Order.

Before Green was the core of the army that would ensure that new order.

They were an odd mix, to be sure. Many were former U.S. soldiers who came with him from New Mexico four years ago. Even more were natives, including several dozen _Confederados_, those descendents of the Southerners who fled America after the Civil War to start colonies in Brazil. The few that joined him were the purists—a small cadre of English-speaking Anglo-Saxons who integrated into Brazilian society in name only, keeping their southern heritage alive. They especially were perfect for Colonel Green's war.

Of course, there were others as well. The _favelas_ of Brazil produced many disaffected youths eager to join a revolution, and after the damage caused on Judgment Day, as most called it, the idea of a revolt against aliens and those governments helping the aliens was very popular. The free drugs Green promised merely fueled their inspiration more.

"Are you ready?" Green asked again.

His men, over five hundred so far, shouted their agreement. All wore the uniform of the Order, an incredibly expensive suit of armor with a mini-gun built into the side of the larger suits. Each suit had a motorized organic support system that essentially turned the wearer into a walking tank.

The fact that much of the technology of the suit was of alien design was not something Green chose to share with his men.

Green's own special touch was the small tube connected to a retractable needle by the neck. The tube fed a potent concoction of steroids and methamphetamines to the wearer, making them feel invincible.

"Then go, and start the revolution," he ordered.

The men, all of whom were standing in the room, began to shuffle slowly out. The suits were not the fastest machines in the world as their servos whined with each step. But with drugged soldiers and super powerful weapons, Green knew his war would change the world.


	41. The First Horseman

**Snowfur**—I'll do my best to protect you, but I'm not high on the Ori's list either. I guess we're both lost!

**Beth Weasley**—The infamous Colonel Green of ST fame is sadly not so easily banished. In his own way, Green is as scary as the Ori. I'm glad you're enjoying.

**Gogolu**—Thank you, I'm glad you're still enjoying. There will not be any time travel alas. But there will be some ST elements later on, such as Colonel Green. Those elements are even more prominent in Part IV. However, I stay true to my timeline. If they weren't alive during the time of my story, then they won't be in the story.

Thank you for reading and for the reviews. I truly do appreciate it, and hope you all continue to enjoy as we go forward.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-One: The First Horseman**

_Kallana, Confederation of Free Jaff, August 20, 2006 Earth Calendar_

The first Ha'tak arrived in a burst of hyperspacial radiation, followed moments later by two more. In the past, the arrival of a Ha'tak mothership in orbit of a planet was a sight greeted with horror.

But since nearly all the major Goa'uld System Lords died in the Battle of Earth four years ago, the Jaffa Rebellion had transformed itself into a powerful entity that quickly swept through the less powerful Goa'uld survivors, until six months ago the Jaffa declared themselves free, and created their own government on the holy world of Dakara.

Now the sight of a Ha'tak was greeted with welcome and joy.

Except for the people on the small world of Kallana. The Jaffa ringed down from their ships and found the colony dead of a terrible plague. People died so quickly many bodies were found slumped over fire pits or dinner tables with their dinner still on their plates.

In the center of the carnage, by the Stargate, the Jaffa soldiers found the stranger. He stood in front of the Stargate, which by some means they did not understand was still open after a full day since all attempts to gate in had failed for that length of time. The figure was surrounded by an odd field of blue energy, and stood reading calmly from a book. He was dressed completely in white, and his skin was so pale it was difficult to see where clothing ended and skin began.

"Who are you?" the Jaffa leader demanded.

"I am the Prior," the stranger said. "I bring you joyous news. The Ori have learned of this galaxy and have chosen to bring Origin to all who live in it. Rejoice that the purifying fire of Ori have come to cleanse your souls."

"What of the people who lived here?" the leader shouted.

"They chose not to walk the Path of Origin," the prior said. He continued reading.

"Jaffa!" the leader yelled. He and his squad of soldiers hoisted their staff weapons and opened fire. The field of energy intercepted the blasts of stave energy, expanding imperceptibly with each blast.

When they were done firing, the prior looked up from his book with milky white eyes. "Those who do not walk the Path of Origin must be destroyed," he intoned. The white crystal at the head of his staff shone bright white, and the twelve Jaffa soldiers fell dead to the ground.

"Hallowed are the Ori," the prior said as he resumed his reading.

* * *

_Cuiaba, Brazil, Sunday, August 20, 2006 (4 CE), 8:12 a.m. Brazil West Standard Time (BRWST)_

Kyle Katarn stood at the edge of the combat zone in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba. What had once been an entertainment district on the edge of town had been leveled. Buildings still burned under the dim morning light, and bodies could be seen strewn everywhere amid destroyed buildings.

And in the middle of the combat zone Katarn could see the only known casualty among the attackers. He nodded to his two companions and led the way across the battlefield. Brazilian soldiers combing through the wreckage watched the three Commonwealth officials with interest.

They wore the black slacks and gray kimono-style uniforms of the Commonwealth Special Investigations Unit, known among higher circles as the Jedi. "Tess?" Kyle asked.

Tess Harding knelt down beside the armor to examine it. "It's of ancient Antaran design," she confirmed. "One of the old Exo-suits from a war fought a thousand years ago. The Antaran physiology was such that suits like these were almost necessary in war." She touched the severed hose near the neck, noting the white frothy substance that had spilled onto the neck of the dead man inside. He died of a very luck shot from one of the local policia's pistols. "This is new, though."

From Kyle's other side, Michael Guerin stepped forward and touched the froth. He held it to his nose. "Wow," he said, quickly pulling it away and wiping his finger free of the stuff. "They were riding high when they did this."

"It explains the complete abandon," Kyle said. "Tess, I sense you have a hunch."

Tess Harding stood. "When Kivar sent me back to Earth as his agent, he had me contact a former U.S. army officer named Green. Colonel Phillip Green. He really didn't like any of us."

"Us?"

"Aliens. He hated having to answer to us, but he was one of Senator Kinsey's appointees and didn't see any other option. He fled south, promising we'd hear from him again."

Kyle closed his eyes and lifted his face to the smoke-filled air, as if trying to sniff out the truth. To the continued amazement of his two padawans, he did just that. "And now we have," Kyle nodded. "I sense this Green was involved in the attack." He pulled out a cell phone the size of a pen. "Central, this is Katarn."

"Go ahead, Kyle," a friendly woman's voice answered.

"Roberta, we've recovered a piece of Antaran military equipment that needs to be transported to headquarters. The item is located half a meter due northeast from my current location."

"Got it," Roberta Lincoln said. A moment later, the exosuit disappeared under the cover of odd blue plasma, and then both were gone. The soldiers nearby stared in shock but said nothing. Brazil was a signatory of the Commonwealth Treaty and so was subject to Commonwealth SIU jurisdiction.

"Let's get back to Brasilia," Kyle said. The three turned and walked back to their hovercar. As they walked, Kyle looked at Tess. "Troubled again?"

The petite blonde shrugged with a wistful smile. "Just missing Zan. I know padawans aren't supposed to form attachments, but…"

"Most padawans aren't already mothers when they begin their training, either," Kyle said. "A lot of the tenants of the Order just don't apply here. In our galaxy, I could conceivably cut someone in two and not have to answer to any authority but the Jedi. Here, if I so much as make someone pout I have to fill out a dozen forms in triplicate."

"Welcome to Earth, Master," Michael Guerin said with a grin.

Kyle shrugged. In the past four years, the Jedi master had aged more than he had in the past two decades. He shaved his beard when it went completely gray, and his hair seemed to be cut shorter and shorter to remove any evidence of gray curls. Even so, he still moved like a man half his age and projected a vitality most men in their thirties could not ever hope to have, much less someone in their sixties. He was the only Jedi Master in the galaxy.

They reached the car and turned once more to look back at the destruction. "This is the third terrorist cell in the past six months to try something like this," Kyle noted.

"Are we calling Saddam a terrorist?"

"Since his people threw him out of Baghdad and he disappeared, yeah, we are." Kyle shook his head. "Of course, we nabbed Saddam by beam the moment he popped his head up. But this…this is going to be trouble."

The Jedi's pencom beeped at him. "This is Kyle."

"Master Katarn," Teal'c said. "We have received an urgent message from Master Bra'tac requesting a meeting with you personally."

"All right, Teal'c, we'll get back to the SGC as soon as we can."

"I shall await you," Teal'c said.

Kyle looked at the two padawans. "That sounds interesting. Roberta, did you hear any of that?"

The pencom beeped. "Yep, sure did. I can transport your whole car if I need to."

"Great. Thanks."

Half an hour later and on the other hemisphere of the planet, the car materialized in a lane heading toward the gates of Cheyenne Mountain, still the site of Stargate Command. The six guards on duty at the gates did not even blink their eyes at what had become an almost common occurrence. They waved Katarn through and ten minutes later, he was standing in the gateroom with General Landry, the new SGC commander. Teal'c stood a step behind Landry.

Landry still wore the uniform of the United States Air Force, though the organization had been greatly reduced in funding in light of the increased budget for the Commonwealth defense fleet.

"Master Katarn," Landry said with an expansive smile and a bellowing voice. "Nice to see you. Miss Harding, Mr. Guerin, always a pleasure. Master Bra'tac requested to meet with you personally."

The gate was already active, and just as the Jedi arrived, the aged Jaffa warrior stepped through, his robe hung over his arm Roman style. "General Landry," Bra'tac said with a bow. "Master Katarn!" He bowed even lower. "Thank you for coming."

Kyle took the man's arm in a traditional Jaffa greeting. "It is a pleasure, my friend. Shall we go to the general's conference room to speak?"

After they settled into the familiar room—unchanged since General Hammond's administration four years before—Bra'tac lost all pretence of pleasure and looked at Katarn with a serious expression. "Master Katarn, you once told me of a war your people fought over a century ago. With a powerful race called the Ori."

Kyle nodded. "The Ori have come." It was not a question.

"It appears so," Bra'tac confirmed. "A strange figure arrived at the Jaffa colony on Kallana two days ago. He spoke of a new set of gods that were coming, and said any who did not worship these 'Ori' would be destroyed. The Jaffa there resisted. They are now dead."

"How many?" Landry asked.

"All of them. The entire colony of four thousand."

"Let me guess: a plague," Kyle said.

Bra'tak nodded.

Kyle looked slowly around the table. Daniel Jackson was off planet on an archeology dig supposedly, although he only took one escort with him. Teal'c was the only familiar face from his arrival on Earth four years ago. "We need to meet with Prime Minister Charleston," Katarn said at last.

"Is it that bad?" Landry asked.

"Do you know what the final casualty count was in our war against the Ori in my galaxy?"

"No." Landry settled back in his chair.

"By the end of the war over 9 trillion died," Kyle said. "Forty-three planets either completely destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. And hundreds of billions of refugees." He looked the general in the eye. "And that was with a unified, galaxy-spanning, eons old civilization many thousands of years more advanced than you, or even the Goa'uld," Kyle said.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He turned to Bra'tak. "Can you tell me what the prior is doing?"

Bra'tak blinked—he had not even spoken the name prior. "He stands surrounded by an energy shield. Our soldiers were killed trying to fire on him, so Gerak, our elected leader, ordered a ha'tak to fire on the prior from orbit. When they stopped, the shield was ten times as large."

"Tell him not to fire again," Kyle said. "We realized after the war that something like this was how the Ori entered our galaxy. They don't use intergalactic hyperdrive like the Asgard or Ancients, at least not that we ever saw. They use super gates composed of specially made ships. And to power the supergate, they need a singularity. And to create a singularity where they want to, they use this energy field to compress a planet into an artificial black hole. The field is fed by the energy of your fire."

Bra'tac blinked. "I shall tell him to stop immediately."

Kyle stood and looked at Landry, then Bra'tac. "Our best hope right now is to prevent them from gaining a beachhead. The moment they enter this galaxy in force, we will be fighting a losing war."

As they stepped out of the conference room, Kyle felt hesitation and turned to see Tess staring up at him. "Master, may I go home for this afternoon?"

Kyle saw Michael watching with a straight face, but in the Force Kyle sensed his hope as well. "Yes, both of you," Kyle said. "I don't think you'll be needed for this. But keep your pencoms on."

"Yes, Master," the two intoned.

After the others had left, the two young padawans made their way through the halls of Stargate Command, their IDs hanging on the folds of their gray shirts. "I bet Maria is looking forward to seeing you," Tess said.

Michael shrugged. "She's doing a gig in Vegas tonight. From what I understand her show's become real popular. She's making pretty good money."

"She has a beautiful voice."

"Yeah."

There was more, and they both knew it. But they also knew talking wouldn't change anything. Years ago, Tess Harding betrayed Michael and the others. It was a betrayal that took the life of one of their friends and made them all realize she was not who she had pretended to be.

Tess left Earth then, taking what they thought at the time was their only means of returning to Antar with her. She also took hers and Max's son Zan.

When she got to Antar, though, she realized for the first time the true impact of her actions. They were her friends—real, honest friends. Granted, some like Liz never trusted or liked her, but the others had come to accept her as one of them. The Antarans, however, could never accept her because of the human form she now carried.

When she returned, she had come to terms with the fact that she really was the villain in that story. She went to the Roswell Sheriff's department after Liz and Max were married and formally confessed to the death of Alex Whitman. She voluntarily stood trial as an adult and was found guilty of manslaughter. She entered a plea agreement with the prosecuting attorney, with some unique testimony from a new FBI assistant director named Fox Mulder and FBI Assistant Director of Forensics Dana Scully.

She served two years, and upon release was immediately recruited into Kyle Katarn's fledgling Jedi Academy. Prison was easy. What was hard was the day before the trial, when she handed Zan to Max with tears in her eyes, while Liz watched impassively. "I'm so sorry," she managed to say before she turned away.

That was four years ago, though. Now, Tess was a Jedi, her criminal record expunged along with all the rest of their personal records. They had access to the fleet hovercars kept at Stargate Command. By hovercar, Ruby Valley, Nevada was only an hour away from Cheyenne Mountain.

Michael drove not because he insisted, but because Tess simply didn't want to. Instead, she sat staring out the window as the morning sunlight bathed the stark western land. "I think Maria's having an affair," Michael suddenly said.

Tess turned, surprised not just by what he said, but that he would say it to her of all people. Michael did not normally confess things. Quite the contrary—he was as reticent a man as she had ever met. The only time he talked was around Maria, and even then it was in short sentences.

"Why do you think so?"

"Sometimes the Force sucks," he answered, and she understood. Since they had become attuned to the Force under Kyle's and Siana's tutelage, they had learned to read the Force signatures of others, including an often irritating truth sense.

It was not possible to cheat on a Jedi boyfriend without him knowing about it.

"Do you think it bothered her that Max and Liz are married with kids, and you're not?"

"I proposed last year. She said no." He shrugged. "She said she doesn't want kids."

"She was lying?"

"She doesn't want half-alien kids."

Tess made a silent "Oh" and nodded, turning to look out front. Maria Deluca was the true odd duckling in their group. Liz might have been human, but after Max changed her, she had become as powerful as they, and was as attuned to the Force as any of them. But Maria—good old Maria was as human as a human could get. She had no powers, no premonitions, nothing special about her at all except her magnificent voice, which was making $5,000 a week singing off the Vegas strip.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." In those three words, she heard despair. For Maria, Michael had tried to be a better man than he knew how to be. She had shaped his adult personality more than any one person. He truly loved her.

"I'm sorry, Michael," Tess said.

"Thanks," he said simply.

Half an hour later they cleared the edge of the hills looking into the valley. What had once been a nature preserve had transformed into a virtual city, complete with two high-rise apartment complexes, a whole subdivision of houses for staff, and the testing grounds for the new technologies being developed with the help of Imperial engineers.

The car they flew was a perfect example of what the facility was producing.

He sat the car down in the carpool where two other hovercars were waiting. Surprisingly, Isabel stood at the edge of the garage, waiting for them.

She hugged Michael as soon as he closed his door, then Tess when she came around. "Come on, Max called a meeting."

"A meeting?" Michael asked. "Like the old Roswell kind? Where's Siana?"

"Siana is meeting with Dr. O'Neill," Isabel said. "After that, she's supposed to meet with Mulder and Scully. This is just for us."

Michael and Tess nodded and followed her to the hover trolley that ran around the community and eliminated the need for street vehicles. Minutes later they reached Max and Liz's spacious home in the middle of the subdivision.

As Tess stepped in, she saw Zan sitting on the couch playing a video game. She desperately wanted him to jump up and say, "Mommy!" and run smiling into her arms like Kyle and Claudia did to Liz and Max.

Instead, he glanced at her, nodded acknowledgment, and then returned his attention to the game. It was Max who forced the issue as he emerged from the kitchen. "Zan, go say hello to your mother."

With a sigh that sounded odd coming from a four-year-old, Zan stood and walked up to Tess and gave her a hug. "Hi mom," he said. Then he turned and walked back to his game.

Max shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. He's pretty much like that to everyone." He took Michael's hand in a firm shake and the three of them moved into the study.

Max and Liz's study was in actuality a working lab. Not content with being just a mother, Liz was working under one of the chemistry gurus there at Ruby Valley toward her doctorate, having graduated college early. Max, as the senior padawan and Siana's most promising student, had a full communications suite provided by Roberta Lincoln's infant InfoNet system. With an Asgard AI as their primary server, Max had the most powerful broadband connection in the world.

The room was as large as Michael's first apartment back in Roswell, and gave them plenty of space to sit comfortably.

"So what's up?" Michael asked as they all sat down.

"You know the UEC ordered DNA tests on the population as a whole, starting with school kids," Max began. "It was essentially to screen for any more Antaran or other alien infiltrators. The only adults so far to receive the test have been military and government personnel. Adult private citizens won't be tested for a few more years."

"What have we turned up?"

"So far we've identified forty-three Antaran hybrid supersoldiers or infiltrators. Most were already on Tess's list and managed to change their names or identities before they were ousted. We've already neutralized all of them."

"So why the meeting?" Isabel asked.

"We found something else, too. In Colorado. A human child with Antaran DNA."

"A hybrid?"

"No."

"I don't understand," Michael said.

At any point in their past, such a statement from Michael would have earned a smart response. But they were past that now. They were one with the Force. And Michael had a wicked little trick he did with the Force that stung for hours just behind the left ear that no one wanted to test.

"Her DNA signature is very, very similar to Kyle's and Claudia's," Max said. "And Zan's."

"More than similar," Liz said. "The Antaran RNA is related. There is a twelve-year-old girl in Colorado who has a 98 percent chance of being Isabel's and Michael's daughter."

The two suspected parents stared at each other. "Rath and Lonnie?" Isabel asked.

Rath and Lonnie. Names no one had spoken in five years, and for good reason.

Max and Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin and Tess Harding were clones. Their human appearance and DNA came from abducted human donors, but their Antaran DNA came from the ruling family of the planet Antar, and with that DNA came occasional flashes of memory and their power. Max was the clone of the deposed and murdered king Zan of Antar. Isabel was the clone of Zan's sister Volandra. Tess was the clone of Zan's queen, while Michael was the clone of Volandra's husband and Zan's second in command.

However, they were not the only set of clones made. In October 2000, as part of a history assignment, Michael met a former Army pilot named Hal Carver who witnessed the actual crash of Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess's ship. That was when Michael first learned there had been two complete sets of cloning pods. A few months later, they found their doubles, whose names were Rath, Lonnie, Ava and the recently dead Zan.

The encounter almost ended Max's life and forced Tess to use her considerable power to kill Lonnie and Rath. Their doubles were unpleasant to say the least.

Still, if Rath and Lonnie had a child, it would explain the DNA reading.

"Only problem with that idea is that the girl is 12," Liz said. "Lonnie would have to have been 11 when she had the baby."

"I don't know, Isabel was pretty mature looking at twelve," Michael said.

"Yeah, but you were a skinny runt," Isabel shot back. "You wouldn't have known what to do."

"There's another explanation," Max said. "I think there might have been a second ship. In 1947."

Everyone stared while Max turned back to his computer. The keyboard was standard, but his flat screen monitor was 48 inches wide, 32 inches high, and less than half an inch thick. It could also be folded or bent if necessary, and only weighed eight pounds—another product of the Ruby Valley engineering teams.

Max pulled up his Beta 6 interface and entered search parameters. An eye-blink later, a black-and-white picture of a man named Kenneth Arnold appeared along with the caption: The 1947 Kenneth Arnold UFO Sighting.

"This man claims he saw nine UFOs over the Cascade Range in Washington State in June of 1947," Max explained. "One month before our ship crashed. What if one of those ships carried another copy of us? An older copy."

"Which probably means two copies," Michael said. "Why send 8 copies of the same clones? Why not use different human donors? It doesn't make sense."

The five of them fell silent for a moment, until at last Tess spoke. "What if our Antaran parents thought the first set of clones was lost?"

Everyone turned to stare. "There were nine objects, you said," Tess continued. "Why so many? Unless Kivar sent ships after the first one to shoot it down."

"The report does say one of the ships appeared damaged," Liz noted.

"So the ship crashes and both Kivar and our parents believe there are no survivors, so they prepare a second ship. We crash too, but this time we survive," Max said.

"It makes you wonder if our crash was accidental as well," Michael said.

"So what do we do?" Isabel asked.

"We're going to have to divide our forces, that's for sure," Michael said. "Master Katarn has something big going on with the Fleet. That means the Brazil terrorist cell will fall to Siana. Tess is already involved."

"Well, our parents have been asking to see the grandkids," Max said. "This might be a good time to bring them up. We'll talk to Siana and Master Katarn on how best to handle this. Isabel, I'm assuming you want to be a part of finding out what is happening?"

Isabel nodded vigorously.

"Michael?"

Michael shrugged. "I'm itching for a fight. Finding a lost clone may not be my best mission. I think I'd rather tackle that terrorist cell in South America with Tess and Siana."

"I'll hold down the fort then and maybe invite the folks up for a visit," Liz said. "Max, why don't you help Isabel?"

"Sounds good," Max said. "Well, sis, you up for some clone hunting?"

"Always, little brother."


	42. The Sky is Falling

**Snowfur**--Thanks as always for reviewing and reading! I have this insane hope that I can somehow break a hundred reviews. For a five with 80 some-odd chapters it should be possible, so we'll see!

**Chapter Forty-Two: The Sky Is Falling**

_Commonwealth, France, Monday, August 21, 2006 (4 CE), 8:51 a.m. Universal Standard Time (formally Greenwich Mean Time)_

The capital of the world was located in a once-small town in central France a few kilometers south of Orleans formally known as Lamotte-Beuvron. In early 2005, it was re-christened Commonwealth when the new United Earth Commonwealth Parliament building was completed. In the front lawn of the massive domed building was a reflection pool five meters wide, one meter deep, and half a kilometer in length pointed precisely at where Bangladesh once existed. At the very end of the pool a lone Indian peepal tree rose into the summer sky from a garden of white pebbles.

To those who visited, it was a profound experience and a fitting testament to the billion lost souls of India, since legend had it that the Buddha found enlightenment under just such a tree.

Around the orderly capital building an entire city had swept away the quaint French village and replaced it with all the pomp, circumstance and excess common to power. Mansions of every description popped up as rich people sought to be close to the new center of world power. Expensive stores selling more expensive items came to serve the owners of those mansions, and in just one year the population exploded to over half a million.

William M. Charleston III, former president of the United States and first elected Prime Minister of the United Earth Commonwealth, stood on the top floor of the six-story minister's residence staring out a central window at the reflection pool while he sipped a cup of tea.

He used to be a coffee man himself, but when the decision was made by the World Assembly of the U.N. to scrap their own organization in favor of a larger federalist commonwealth, with its capital in Western Europe, Charleston knew he had better start learning European customs.

He found he liked good French wine, still didn't like brie, and thoroughly enjoyed tea. It did not upset his stomach like coffee sometimes did, and most definitely calmed his nerves more.

That, more than anything, was what he needed right now. He took a deep sip, breathed, and turned to face his first appointment of the day.

This was only Charleston's second-ever meeting with Kyle Katarn. Though Katarn was their savior following Doomsday, personally putting his life in danger and orchestrating the events that saved them complete annihilation from one or the other of the alien fleets that threatened them, he was also at least indirectly responsible for bringing some of those enemies to Earth in the first place.

And now he was training others on Earth to be just like him.

"Thank you for seeing me, Prime Minister," Katarn said as he was shown into the minister's office. With him came Deputy Prime Ministers Beatrice Franklin and Carlos Seinze, a former ambassador from Spain and a long-time acquaintance of Franklin's from her Foreign Service days. Behind them came General Gregori Chekov and Admiral Jack O'Neill, the two top commanders of the Commonwealth Defense Force.

"I understand it is a matter of some importance," Charleston said as he showed them to the conference table on the west side of the room. A new mansion built for new leadership, the Commonwealth minister's residence had a central office approximately seven times larger than the Oval office. The Prime Minister found he liked the space.

Katarn nodded and allowed himself to be guided to the conference table. "A minister of the Free Jaffa Nation arrived late yesterday to advise us of the arrival of an Ori prior in this galaxy. I believe the prior is attempting to establish a beachhead that will allow the Ori to enter this galaxy militarily."

Charleston nodded. He remembered reading the name Ori but only now remembered from what. "I see. And assuming they're able to do this, what would that mean to us?"

"It would mean enslavement or death to this world and every other sentient being in this galaxy. The Ori are technologically superior even to the Asgard in most respects, and demand complete and absolute faith and fealty. If you doubt them, they will kill you. If your world doubts them, they will strike the whole world down with force of arms or with the plague. If you follow them, they will still kill huge numbers of you and eliminate your industrial base, forcing you to become a primitive agrarian society. The Ori are ascended beings, Mr. Prime Minister. They are so close to gods in the scope of their powers as to make little difference. The only way we can hope to fight them is to keep them from bringing the brunt of their military to the fore."

"You paint a grim picture, Master Katarn," Charleston said.

"He painted a grim picture of the _Dragon's Claw_ too, Minister," Franklin reminded him. "And we all know how accurate that depiction was."

"I do remember. That's why I'm listening." Charles leaned back his seat and regarded Kyle. "Your people fought these Ori, correct?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"The Jedi," Kyle said. "We found the Jedi were the only ones who could stop the priors. But even then, in the end, it took an extraordinary sacrifice from the most powerful of our number to stop them. Their goal then was to destroy the universe completely in order to remake it in their own image. And Minister, you do not want to know just how close they came. They killed me, and all the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. It was only the sacrifice of Anakin Skywalker and his own power in the Force that brought us back to life and finally ended the threat."

"He brought you back to life?"

"Such is the power of the Force, when in balance."

"How many Jedi did you have?"

"More than I have now," Katarn said. "And many were true masters. Also, in my galaxy the Jedi at the time had scattered in hiding all over, and those that could came forward to help. That is simply not the case here."

The minister nodded then turned to O'Neill. "Admiral? Is there anything we can do about it?"

Admiral Jack O'Neill gave a nonchalant shrug. In the baby blue and black uniform of the UEC Defense Fleet, O'Neill actually looked a little younger than at his wedding with Dr. Samantha Carter two years ago. "We have four space command carriers with those big guns we stripped off the _Dragon's Claw._ With the help of Shintre's people we've even managed to produce some hypermatter for the reactors, enough to power three of the ships. The other ship is the _Prometheus_ and it's still working off the naquedah systems we developed for the X-303 project. So, we have three ships that between them approach the power of one of the _Dragon Claw's_ main guns. With that kind of firepower, we might be able to make a difference."

Charleston nodded and then smiled. "Speaking of, has Mr. Shintre accepted our proposal?"

"He takes the oath of citizenship today. He'll be in orbit tomorrow."

Charleston nodded. "With the threat of the Gao'uld and Antarans at least momentarily abated, I agree that our best bet now is to try and prevent any new threat from developing. To that extent, I authorize the UEC Defense Force to take any actions necessary to contain this threat, provided adequate defense is left for Earth."

O'Neill and Chekov both nodded curtly. "Master Katarn," the minister added, "I would like you to assist with their efforts in any way you see fit."

"I'll be there," Katarn said.

* * *

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Monday, August 21, 2006 (4 CE), 5:51 a.m. Mountain Standard Time_

"How do I look?" Fox Mulder asked with a yawn.

Dana Scully-Mulder straightened the lapels of his jacket, stepped back under the low roof of the hoverjet, and nodded. "Like the Assistant Director of the Western Hemisphere of the new Commonwealth Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation."

"It's a mouthful," Mulder agreed. "CFBCI. It's not as romantic as FBI."

"Just practice, you'll get used to it."

He grinned and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Overhead they heard a bell sound and then a red light inset in the ceiling began flashing. "We're approaching Ruby Valley. Please take your seats," the pilot announced.

"We gotta siddown now mama," William Scully Mulder announced in his high, piping voice.

The couple took their seats next to their son in the small hoverjet just as it stopped forward motion. The hoverjet was nothing more than a converted Blackhawk helicopter with repulsor coils lifted directly from the _Dragon's Claw_, which was still resting on the moon. Coupled with a large jet engine with an inset of back-swept wings, the Blackhawk had become a perfectly usable hover-vehicle.

Ruby Valley had already managed to retro-engineer and duplicate its own repulsor coils, but the first converted vehicles still used borrowed parts. The coils were cheaper to operate and extended the operational range of the converted vehicles ten-fold. With almost half of the world's total military budgets dedicated to the creation of a fleet of space-based defensive ships, conversion of existing aircraft was much more practical.

As they descended, they saw a lone figure with a shock of bright blue hair waiting for them on the ground near the hangar. As soon as they climbed down the fold-out ladder, Siana was there smiling warmly. "I'm glad you were able to make it," she said. "Master Katarn has assigned me the terrorist operation in Brazil. Tess has some leads that we wanted to discuss with you."

"Great!" Mulder said.

Siana smiled down at William, who ran to give her a hug. "Sana!" he said with a delighted squeal. "Are we going to play with Kyle?"

She knew William meant Kyle Evans and not her master. "You bet," she said. She stood, holding the five-year-old William in her arms. "Liz should be over in a few minutes. Her and Max's parents just flew in this morning, so they have a very full house."

Dana smiled cautiously. Siana handed William over. "Has he shown any signs?"

Mulder nodded. "Yeah."

"He threw his water cup at me in a fit over some green beans," Dana admitted.

"Let me guess," Siana said. "He didn't use his hands to throw it."

Both parents nodded.

"Well, we suspected he would show signs. The Antarans wanted human-Antaran hybrids. But they could not have known what the Force would do to those hybrids, or what the Antaran energy wave could do to us Jedi. Don't worry, though. Liz will take very good care of him."

"Why don't you two go?" Dana said suddenly to Siana and her husband. "I have a greater urge to play mom than I do to play investigator today."

"Okay," Fox said. He gave her a peck on the cheek and watched as she walked along the hangar toward one of the many trams that ran through the facility. In the distance, he saw a thin figure he knew had to be Liz.

Mulder looked back at Siana. "So, what shall we talk about?"

* * *

_Kallana High Orbit, Confederation of Free Jaffa, August 24, 2006 (4 CE) _

Gerak, former First Prime of the Gao'uld Montu and newly appointed leader of the Free Jaffa Nation, stood on the pel'tac of a ha'tak mothership staring down at the now visible blue bubble on the surface of the planet below. The fact that it was so clearly visible from orbit spoke grimly of its growing size.

"I grow tired of waiting for the Tau'ri," Gerak muttered to himself. His aide, Yat'Yir, nodded agreement. "Teal'c said they would be coming shortly. That was days ago."

Suddenly their claxons blared as a new ship entered orbit. The new ship was unlike anything the Jaffa had seen before. It was almost a full kilometer in length, with two nacelles angled down and away from the main body of the craft to form what looked like hangar bays. But the most striking feature was the massive gun running what looked like the length of the entire vessel and protruding twenty meters from the nose of the vessel.

A second and then third ship of the same design emerged from hyperspace right behind it. "Master Gerak," the communications officer said, "we are being hailed by the lead vessel. They are the Tau'ri."

"I shall speak to them," Gerak said.

His view of the planet changed to show a clean-shaven man approaching his late fifties, but still in excellent physical condition. "Master Gerak," the man said. "I am Jedi Master Kyle Katarn speaking on behalf of the United Earth Commonwealth. We came as soon as we could, and we thank you for your patience."

"I have been patient," Gerak agreed. "But my patience is at an end. This intrusion into Jaffa space cannot be tolerated."

"We wholly agree, Master Gerak," Katarn said. "And with your permission, we would like to propose a solution. May we speak in person?"

"Very well. I shall come to your vessel."

There was a flash of white from the Asgard beams built into the _Daedalus_, and a second later Gerak stood on the bridge of the Earth vessel two feet from Katarn. "Welcome to the _Daedalus_, Master Gerak."

If he was surprised by the Tau'ri using Asgard beaming technology, Gerak chose to hide it well. He nodded to Katarn, and then saw a more familiar face behind him. "And you must be O'Neill. General."

Jack smiled. "Admiral now. Don't ask me why. The Prime Minister of the UEC has authorized me to take any action necessary to stop the Ori incursion into our galaxy. So, that's why we're here. And Master Katarn here has an idea."

Gerak turned back to Katarn. "Speak, then."

"The bubble around the stargate is designed to absorb and convert weapons energy of any kind. It will continue to grow until it encompasses the whole planet. The Ori will send a series of ships through the gate on the surface, then allow the field to collapse the whole planet into a singularity to power a supergate made up of the smaller ships."

Gerak blinked and Kyle could sense the man's utter confusion. "What he means is if we keep shooting at it the Ori are going to use it to make a beachhead," O'Neill translated.

"I see," Gerak said at last. "So what do you propose?"

"We cut the whole patch of ground off the planet and tractor it into deep space. Eventually the gate will destabilize and shut down."

"You can do this?"

Katarn and O'Neill both shrugged. With the Jedi's beard shaven, the two men were not so dissimilar in appearance. "We'll try," the admiral said.

"Then do so," Gerak ordered.

"Captain Shintre," O'Neill said.

Han Shintre, wearing the black and baby blue of the UEC defense fleet, nodded curtly and began issuing his orders. "His people seem very efficient," Katarn noted to O'Neill.

"He's been on the bridge a day, and he's already whipped his folks into shape," O'Neill said proudly. "I knew he'd work out."

As the two men watched their ships prepare for the maneuver, Katarn said, "So why are you an admiral? I never heard the official explanation."

"They decided the defense fleet should follow the naval template instead of Air Force. So I when they commissioned me into the fleet, I was commissioned as admiral."

"You ever captain a ship?"

"Nope. I've flown fighters, even our new F-501s that we have in the hangars. But I've never captained a ship. And I was only a general for a couple of years. Strange, huh? In five years I went from a United States Air Force colonel to admiral of the fleet of the United Earth Commonwealth Defense Force."

Katarn nodded, and then turned as Captain Shintre announced the trio of ships was ready. The three Earth ships used maneuvering thrusters to position themselves in a triangle formation in synchronous orbit directly above the bubble. Each ship had its nose and main gun pointed directly at the surface.

"So, these guns can vary intensity from 50 to 100 power," O'Neill explained to Gerak. "We're going to fire a tight beam emission at 52 capacity in a sweeping arc. The other two ships will do the same, essentially acting like a trowel to dig up about a hundred square kilometers."

"And we have the power to tow it?" the Jaffa leader asked.

"With a boost," O'Neill said. "We're going to beam a shaped nuke under the landmass once it's cut loose. It might make the bubble expand, but it will also make it go up and free up all the unnecessary weight of loose soil. From there, we're going to sweep into the atmosphere and just scoop it up."

Kyle studied the Admiral. "Jack, that actually sounded intelligent. Sam must be rubbing off on you."

"Yeah, but don't let her know. I caught her doing crossword puzzles the other day, so I must be rubbing off on her too."

Shintre snapped to sharp attention. "Admiral, all ships report ready. Upon your order, sir!"

"Fire at will, Captain."

The three ships fired. Long streams of green light lanced down and began carving the surface of the planet at a depth of one hundred kilometers. Unlike the massive, destructive plumes, though, these beams acted more like scalpels, slicing through and vaporizing soil. There were clouds of debris to be sure, but nothing like what the Earth saw on Doomsday.

At least not yet.

"All right," O'Neill said. "Let's deliver the package."

"Asgard beams activated," Captain Shintre reported. "Package has been delivered."

"This is going to be neat," O'Neill said.

On the surface they saw a massive flash of light well into the gigaton range. "Naquedah enhanced fission," the admiral explained. "It's the most powerful explosive we've found."

"The plan appears to be working," Captain Shintre said, not bothering to hide his surprise. "The force field has been ejected into the air and is slowing ascent at 10,000 meters."

"Capture it with the tractor beams," O'Neill ordered.

The three ships suddenly shot into the upper atmosphere of the planet, shuddering violently against the boiling, radioactive clouds of the massive explosion. "Target locked," the com station announced. "_Icarus_ and _Tantalus_ both report positive captures as well. Tractor beams are holding, but the object does appear to be expanding."

"Get it into orbit!" O'Neill said.

The ships climbed back into space, and from the roiling chaos of destruction in the surface of the planet came a massive orb of blue energy. Held inside the orb was what appeared to be a terrarium of land holding a tiny twinkling Stargate, and a figure made miniscule by distance.

"I would love to see the prior's face right now," Katarn said. "We never tried anything like this during our first war with them."

"We'll be sure to take pictures," the admiral said with a grin. "Captain, has the field reached escape velocity?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Let it go."

The three ships simultaneously cut the tractor beams and flew away like a peeling banana, allowing the orb to continue on its path into a solitary orbit around the sun. The _Daedalus_ came back around and stayed a thousand meters away from the orb to observe. One of Gerak's ha'taks did the same.

After a while, the blue orb simply flickered out. The terrarium shattered into a million pieces of dirt, and the gate floated free and deactivated.

"Capture the gate," Admiral O'Neill said. "We might be able to use it later." He turned to Gerak. "We have eliminated this particular threat, Master Gerak. Did this action meet with your approval?"

Gerak frowned deeply, and then gave a curt nod. "Indeed. Well done. I will thank you to return me to my vessel."

A moment later, the leader of the Jaffa was gone.

"Nice guy," Katarn nodded. "I enjoyed our talks.'

"I'll miss him too," O'Neill remarked. "So, think this will stop the Ori?"

"Not a chance."

"Didn't think so."


	43. Here On Earth

**Snowfur**--Not being a physicist, I'm not sure how probably any of it would be in real life, but for fiction it seemed pretty smart ;)

**Beth Weasley**--You're absolutely right, it's not a permanent plan. Their just putting fingers in the dyke for now.

Thank you both for reading and for your reviews. I greatly appreciate it. Like I said, my hope is to reach a 100 reviews. Considering this is going to be a 230,000 word 80 chapter story, I hope it's doable. I don't think it'll ever have the reviews that many other stories do, but it's my hope for those few who are reading that it is enjoyable nonetheless.

Thanks again!

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**Chapter Forty-Three: Here on Earth**

_Estes Park, Colorado, Thursday, August 24, 2006 (4 CE), 9:34 a.m. MST_

The handsome young man in jeans and a blue polo shirt stepped into the Volper Real Estate Agency and flashed a Hollywood bright smile. "Hi!" he said to the receptionist. "I'm interested in purchasing a home. Can you help?"

The reception appraised him for a long time, perhaps longer than necessary, and smiled apologetically. "We normally only handle properties in the half million range or higher."

"I know. Don't let my looks fool you. I'm filthy rich."

She brightened considerably. "Well, let me ring Mr. Volper."

Mr. Volper proved to be a man in his late forties with a thick, well-coiffed head of blond hair, brown eyes, and a dimpled chin. He stepped out of his office in the back of the small suite almost before the receptionist rang him, as if telepathically drawn to the idea of making money.

"Hi, Jim Volper," he said in a booming voice as he held out a hand. He wore a gold Rolex with inset diamonds and a class ring also glittering with diamonds announcing he went to and played football for USC. "How can I help you?"

"I was hoping to talk to you about purchasing a property," the young man said brightly. "Preferably in the two to five million range. Jack Waldrop said you did good work for him last year."

"You know Jack?" Jack Waldrop was a renowned golf pro. "Do you play?"

"Only between movies," the man said. "I'm a producer."

"I like you already. Please, come back and we'll talk."

The two stepped back into Volper's office, where he shut the door and motioned his guest to sit. "So, let's take a look at what's available."

"First, I need to show you something." The young man pulled an ID case from his back pocket, opened it, and put it on the desk. "My name is Max Evans. You're probably not aware of what the Special Investigations Unit is, so suffice it to say I am a Commonwealth Federal agent. I wanted to speak to you in confidence concerning your daughter Hannah."

Jim Volper stared up at Max. "So you're not filthy rich?"

"I'm a government employee."

Only then did Jim Volper lose his smile.

When Max walked out of the Volper Real Estate Agency office half an hour later, he found his sister standing in front of what the residents of the town thought to be very strange looking car getting lots of attention. "So?" Isabel asked.

"We have the name of the adoption agency. Evidently Hannah's mother was a teenager at the time of her birth." The two climbed into the hovercar and pulled away, being sure to stay on the ground in town. Isabel drove so Max could hook into the car's roving connection. "Okay, I found the agency. It's located in…it's in Washington, Iz. Seattle. Just miles away from where Kenneth Arnold saw his UFOs."

"So there could be another set of us out there," Isabel said.

"There's only one way to find out."

Isabel activated the hover systems and the car suddenly lifted off the road. Below, behind and in front of them, cars came to a stop as shocked drivers stuck their heads out to watch the car ascend into the sky, and then rocket off toward the northwest.

"Think we'll need a warrant?" Isabel asked.

"Commonwealth law says we don't, at least when it comes to suspected alien activity. But we might want to stop by the Seattle city attorney's office just to talk with them. Master Katarn said we need to be mindful of the local law enforcement agencies if we ever want to be accepted."

"Sounds good to me." Isabel flashed her patented smile. "Besides, it's fun pushing attorneys around."

"You just say that because you were married to one."

"No, I say that because I'm not married to one any more."

Isabel's ex-husband was a sore spot, and the only person on the planet who could discuss it with her was her brother, because she knew there was no judgment there. Max was no older than she when he married Liz. The difference, of course, was that Liz was close to his age, where Isabel's ex, Jesse, had been ten years her senior and working as a junior partner with her father's firm. It just so happened when their secret was exposed and their lives were in jeopardy, his love was not as strong as she hoped.

As Isabel drove, Max pulled off his polo shirt and slipped into the black kimono-style shirt that had become the official uniform of the Jedi on Earth. Kyle had actually designed a set of Jedi robes for them all, but they were supposed to only be used for official ceremonies, and looked rather silly.

Isabel, of course, was already in her SIU uniform.

Choosing caution over speed, they brought the hovercar down to highway level and drove into the city of Seattle. The car had Commonwealth exempt plates, which in theory meant they could not be towed, impounded or ticketed. They always received tickets anyway, since so many local law enforcement agencies were still unclear about Commonwealth agents, but Max never bothered to pay them since they were always dismissed.

The two walked into the City Hall tower and found the city attorney's office. The office was a large maze of cubes and desks taking up the majority of that floor. The receptionist looked up without smiling. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Max Evans, this is Isabel Evans. We are Federal Agents with the United Earth Commonwealth, and would like to speak with the city attorney regarding a warrant request."

"You're joking, right? You two aren't even out of college yet."

Isabel leaned over conspiratorially and whispered, "We're aliens. You'd better call the city attorney."

"Okay," the receptionist said blankly. "I'll call Mr. Fisher for you."

"Thank you!" Isabel said brightly. She beamed at her brother, who smiled less brightly but with genuine appreciation.

"I wish I could influence minds like you do."

"It's a gift," Isabel said with a happy shrug. "I wish I could heal like you."

A few minutes later a very irritated-looking Don Fisher strode through the maze of crowded government-issue cubicles and stared at the two with open contempt. "Laurie, why the hell did you buzz me? Get these kids out of here, I'm busy…."

He stopped talking and the whole office fell silent. The only sound was the low, steady hum of a bright green lightsaber in Max's hand. A moment later the saber was extinguished and Max replaced it on his sash. "Sorry for the display, Mr. Fisher, but I needed your undivided attention. I am Max Evans of the Commonwealth Special Investigations Unit. In accordance with Commonwealth Internal Governance Code Section 82564.203 paragraph 84 we are invoking jurisprudence in an investigation of a local adoption agency. We have come here in order to request your cooperation into this investigation. If cooperation is not forthcoming, then we will return tomorrow to compel the cooperation of this office and seek your immediate dismissal from service, also as authorized under the code I quoted you. Do you understand what I am saying, sir?"

The whole office, with dozens of over-worked state attorneys and assistants, stared at their boss and the two young, mysterious agents facing him. Finally, Fisher composed himself. "I will require proof of your credentials, of course," he said.

"We will give that gladly," Max said. "Is there some place we can talk?"

Thirty minutes later, Max, Isabel and Fisher walked across to the municipal building, and ten minutes after that the two agents were in their car following a uniformed police escort with a search warrant in their hands.

* * *

The New Beginnings Adoption Agency in Seattle was not a large office. No child ever adopted through it had even visited. It was a record-keeping facility only, its employees assisting in the multiple layers of paperwork necessary to adopt a child both in the U.S. and abroad.

The receptionist of New Beginnings looked up in shock when Max and Isabel entered with a uniformed officer behind them. "Can I help you?"

"I need to speak to the Director," Max said. "I believe her name is Margaret Thompson?"

Margaret Thompson stepped out of an office just behind the receptionist. "Yes, what is this?"

"Ma'am, we are agents of the Commonwealth Special Investigations Unit. We are investigating a possible infiltration. Although for cooperative purposes we have obtained a warrant to search all records of adoptions for the past twenty years, you should be aware that Commonwealth law compels your cooperation regardless of the status of a warrant."

"I'm calling my attorney," Ms. Thompson said.

"You can call him after you've assisted us," Max said with a tone of absolute authority that rang through the office. He put down a piece of paper. "This isn't going to be a random search. I need this child's file, especially anything you have on the mother."

"I am not going to cooperate until I have spoken with my lawyer!"

"Fine," Max said. "Officer, please detain Ms. Thompson in her office. She can call whomever she wishes." He and Isabel stepped past the owner and into a long hall lined with offices. Each held a specialist and a young couple. The two agents ignored the odd looks and walked down the hall until they reached one room without glass walls and with a locked door.

"That's it," Max muttered. He put a hand on the doorknob and used just a nip of power. It did not even require the Force to open the door and step into the records room. The agency was meticulous with their record keeping. Max had the date of the adoption and the adopted parents' names. It was a matter of minutes before they found the file.

"Oh my God," Isabel whispered when they opened the file and saw a photo the mother. "It is another clone. And look, her name is Isabel too!"

"Isobel, slightly different spelling," Max noted. "Stevens. She was sixteen when she gave the child up for adoption. That would make her twenty-eight now, right?"

"But I'm only twenty-three."

"Who knows how long the maturation process takes?" Max said. "Remember we three emerged from our pods almost six months before Tess. Maybe this Isobel Stevens emerged from her pod sooner than you did. If so, she could easily be about five years or so older than you."

"But it is me," Isabel whispered.

Max took his pencom out of his sash and quickly began scanning the paperwork. The scanned documents were sent by the pencom directly to the hovercar's Beta 6 interface. A moment later the pencom blinked and projected a message against the paper. Max moved it to a blank page and read.

"She's still here in Seattle," Isabel whispered. "She's a doctor! I can't believe that. I hate hospitals."

"Because mom does," Max said. "You have to give our environment some credit for shaping us." He put the paper file back and stared at his sister. In the distance, they could hear Ms. Thompson arguing angrily with the officer, along with a new voice that had to have been the attorney.

"What do you want to do, Iz?"

Isabel hugged herself and stared at the ceiling. "A daughter. How could she have given up her daughter?"

"We can go ask her."

"Not me, Max," Isabel said. "If she sees me, she's going to freak. You're going to have to talk to her first."

"Okay, let's go talk to her."

* * *

_Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, August 24, 2006 (4 AD Commonwealth Calendar), 2 p.m. Brazil East Standard Time,(BRWST)_

The American stood in the shadow of Christ the Redeemer on the top of Corcovado Mountain, overlooking the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro. It was truly one of the most spectacular and beautiful cities he had ever seen, at least from this vantage.

He knew that within the thick, human stew of its streets, it would lose much of its beauty, but from the shadow of the giant statue of Christ, it was a breathtaking sight.

He removed a black box the size of a TV remote with only one button. He looked up at the visage of the statue and saluted as he pushed the button. It was a signal, nothing more.

A few minutes later, he heard the sound of propellers and looked up at an old Hercules transport plane flying over the city in response to that signal of his. From his vantage point, he could see the cargo hatch open. He watched as a large black device fell out of it. A few minutes later, a second device fell, followed by a third. Each was the size of a small one-seat Eurocar. A few hundred meters from the ground, the first device sprouted a parachute to slow its descent. Even with binoculars, the black cylinder seemed very small.

Below, the massive donut-shaped ring that was Maracana Stadium disappeared in a flash of light as the first device floated into it, followed a moment later by a mushroom cloud that quickly rose in height to the American himself. A moment later, a large stretch of Ipanema also flashed with white light and a ballooning mushroom cloud.

The third explosion occurred in _Centro_, the historical center of the city. From the top of the mountain, people screamed around him and ran like a flock of chickens in fear of radiation or fallout. Several screamed that the aliens were attacking again, but the American stood his ground and watched. He knew the explosions were not nuclear, and most definitely not as a result of an alien attack. These were good old American fuel-air bombs, among the more powerful conventional explosives available.

It just so happened that his benefactors had a few left from their operation in New Mexico.

A man walked up behind the American. "That should rile the anthill, Colonel," the man said in English.

Colonel Green nodded with satisfaction and turned to face the newcomer. "Kivar. Nice face."

The newcomer was a strikingly handsome Brazilian with mocha-colored skin and a European angle to his cheeks and green eyes. "Thank you," the dictator of Antar said. "I can't hold this body for long. I wished to communicate our next shipment to you."

"I'll make good use of the equipment," Green promised. "I was surprised when you contacted me, though. I thought you had died with your fleet."

"The Asgard are not the only ones who can continue themselves through cloning," Kivar said, snarling as he remembered the Antaran defeat over Earth. "Rest assured we won't make the same mistake twice."

"So why did you possess a body just to speak to me?" Green asked.

"I have it on good authority that the Jedi are going to be involved in pursuing you. We have learned that the Jedi Kyle Katarn was responsible for our destruction, and that the Royal Four are now being trained as Jedi. I want them dead. At all costs. I have contacted our remaining agents and they will be coming to you over the next few weeks. Use them to destroy my enemies, and this world will be yours."

Green nodded. "Consider it done."

The man within whom Kivar currently resided gave a curt nod, turned and left. Green knew that in a few hours the man would wake up with a splitting headache and several hours of lost time. The Antarans were nothing if not proficient abductors of humans.

Green turned back to survey the fruits of his labors. "This is _my_ war," he whispered to the air. "The Aliens can go to hell. The impure can go to hell. This is my world, my war, and I will make it all the way God intended." He then turned to the Redeemer, fell to his knees, and gave thanks for his success in killing 8,000 Brazilians.

* * *

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Thursday, August 24, 2006 (4 CE), 6:21 p.m. MST_

The main administration building of Ruby Valley rose thirty floors into the otherwise empty Nevada skyline in three separate tiers, with the central portion of the building rising the to the full thirtieth floor. Each of the different tiers held a hoverpad.

Although it was officially used to house the administrative aspects of the project and the business aspects of the Ruby Valley Corporation that produced and sold many of the advances the former Imperial engineers were making with their earth-borne counterparts, two entire floors of the central building near the top executive suites were a dedicated command and control center for the Commonwealth's Special Investigation Unit, known to inner circles as the Jedi Order.

Officially, the Jedi were organized as part of the Commonwealth Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation. However, the SIU had its own director who answered directly to the Deputy Prime Minister of the UEC. That director, of course, was Kyle Katarn.

The deputy director of the SIU was a twenty-one year old woman with shocking blue hair and eyes the color of a sapphire held before a flashlight.

In her wildest dreams, Siana Delun could never have seen herself sitting in an office in a primitive tower on a primitive planet on the other side of the universe from Ossus. Even more unbelievable was the fact the natives had entrusted her with such a high level of authority over their own people. The trust was at once humbling and terrifying.

Her intercom beeped. "Director Delun? There is a Dr. Daniel Jackson and guest to see you."

"Send him in," Siana said without hesitation. She remembered meeting Dr. Jackson four years ago, and had intermittent meetings with him since that time.

When he walked in, however, she immediately noticed something different. As she stood to greet him, she realized what it was. His Force signature had changed, become somehow brighter and more intense.

Using an old technique passed along by Kyle, who learned it from the legendary Luke Skywalker himself, Siana reached with the Force to a point in the back of Dr. Jackson's conscious mind, and pushed.

The reflexive Force push that Dr. Jackson returned shoved the young Jedi back several steps. "Are you all right?" the American officer beside Jackson said. Jackson, however, simply stood waiting.

"You tested it, didn't you?" he said. "I felt you push against me."

Siana nodded. "What happened?"

"It's a very long story. Suffice it to say, you may have far more Jedi initiates here on Earth than you thought. Starting off with me. And Major Shepherd, here."

"I still don't know what the guy's talking about," Shepherd said. Then he gave her a crooked grin. "Nice hair."


	44. Grace and Divinity

**Snowfur**—The first of many. We may not see all of them trained in Part III, but by Part IV and especially Part V, we'll be seeing more.

**Ghostdraconi**—Thank you very much. Here's another crossover for you. What I liked about this was that there realty was a UFO sighting around Seattle in the same year as Roswell, as for other, more obvious reasons. Hope you enjoy!

**Magali**—Wow, thank you for all the reviews. Helen aka Roberta is actually from one of the OS Star Trek episodes called Assignment Earth that was originally going to be a spin off. Her character was played by Teri Garr, and she did have access to teleportation technology as far back as the 60s.

Now, to your last review, I completely respect your concerns. Others have expressed them as well, and out of respect for those concerns I actually did change future plot points. However, to your point, while I saw the Maria in love with Michael, I also saw the Maria who left Michael and the whole gang in Season 3 when she was promised a recording contract. Imaging if they had let her do the music her way, with complete control. Might season 3 have ended differently? Also, I'm old. I like young-at-heart shows, but I'm old enough to have seen how real life affects young couples. Quite often those relationships burning the brightest don't last, especially those that start out in the teen-age years. Personalities are not fully formed that young. Life continues to shape and mold people, and after a while couples sometimes wake up years later and realize they don't really know each other. But take to heart the fact that we've not seen the last of Michael and Maria. Sometimes changing personalities leads people back together.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I truly appreciate it.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Four: Grace and Divinity**

_Seattle, Washington, Friday, August 25, 2006 (4 CE), 3:25 p.m. EST_

Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens sat on a bench in the 3rd floor East Wing hall of Seattle Grace Hospital staring at a check made out to her in the amount of $8.7 million dollars.

When she looked at the check, she saw Denny Duquette lying in his hospital bed. When she looked at the check, she felt his body next to hers, slowly losing warmth. Flaccid, empty. Denny Duquette was the man she was going to marry, and just hours after he received his new heart in a risky transplant, he died.

All she had left of him was a check in the amount of $8.7 million dollars, paid from his estate.

She stuffed the check back in the pocket of her labcoat and sipped her coffee. She only had a few minutes before she had to return to her rounds, and she wanted to make the most of it.

So deep was she into her thoughts that she didn't notice the person standing across the hall staring at her for several minutes. When she looked up, though, for some reason she felt a sense of vertigo, as if she were looking down on him from a great height and was on the verge of falling. His handsome face was at once profoundly familiar, and yet she knew she had never seen him before in her life.

"Can I help you?" she asked when she saw he did not look away from her.

"You're Isobel Stevens," he said, as if the last name tasted strange on his tongue.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"Max Evans," the man said as he crossed the hall to sit next to her. She estimated he was a few years younger than her, with a fit and muscular appearance. "I've been looking for you."

"Why?"

He smiled and held out his hand. "I think we may be related."

"My brother is dead and I didn't have any cousins. We're not related."

"Your brother?" Max reached into the gray sash around his waist that seemed to serve as his belt and removed a picture. He held it out to her. "Was this him?"

Isobel fought to keep from choking on her coffee and quickly put the cup down. "How did you get that picture?" she demanded. "Who the hell are you?"

"Like I said, I think we're related. Is that your brother?"

"Was."

"What happened?"

"None of your business!"

"Was he the father of your baby?"

Isabel shot to her feet and backed away from him. "Who the hell are you?" she screamed. Up and down the hall, doctors, nurses and patients alike turned to stare. "How could you possibly know that?"

Several people came running toward the man, and Izzie noticed Meredith Grey and Miranda Bailey among the on-rushers. For once, Izzie was glad to have the "Nazi" coming to her rescue. From the other side of the hall, two police officers came running as well.

"What's going on here?" Bailey demanded of Max while Meredith stood at Izzie's side and quietly took her hand in support.

The officers arrived as well. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to back away," one of the officers said.

Max completely ignored Bailey, which was not easy to do, and turned to the officers. "I'm going to remove my ID from my sash." He spoke in a calm, level voice.

The officers relaxed a little, though the doctors did not. The young man removed an ID holder, opened it and showed it to the two officers. "I'm here on Commonwealth business," he said at last. He nodded to Isobel. "Dr. Stevens and I need to talk."

The two officers looked confused. A moment later, the Seattle police officer who the city attorney had assigned as Max's liaison walked up the hall from around the corner, stepped beside the two hospital police and whispered something. The three men looked at the newcomer with the Hollywood face, and the two hospital officers turned and left. The Seattle officer moved a little down the hall, but then stopped and waited.

"I don't care what your ID says," Dr. Bailey snarled, stepping closer to the young man. "You do not come into my hospital and disrupt my interns!"

"Step away," the young man said with a hint of steel.

"And what are you going to do to make me?"

Very gently, to the shock of everyone in the hall, Dr. Miranda Bailey lifted off the floor of the hallway and floated three feet to the left of the young man, before just as gently being returned to her feet. She stood rooted in place, eyes wide.

"Oh my God," Meredith Gray whispered.

"As I was saying," Max said, "I am a federal agent with the United Earth Commonwealth. Dr. Stevens and I need to talk. In private."

The entire hallway fell absolutely quiet. Several nurses and doctors who had approached now found themselves stepping back. "What do you want with me?" Izzie whispered. "Why are you here?"

Max stepped closer. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you, or arrest you. Please, let's go someplace where we can talk."

Izzie looked down at the hand in hers, then into the face of her friend. "Can Dr. Grey come too, please?"

Max blinked. "We're going to be discussing items of an intensely personal nature, Isobel. Things that you do not want Dr. Gray to know."

"I don't care," Izzie said. She turned and stared at Grey. "Will you come? Please?"

Meredith Grey nodded without hesitation. Max looked from one doctor to the other and nodded. "Okay. Where are we going?"

"This floor has a conference room that's free for a few hours," Meredith said.

Max nodded and stepped aside. "Please, lead the way."

The conference room was large enough to seat sixteen. When they were in, Max closed and locked the door, then removed a silver pen which he simply sat on the table. He placed the picture he showed her on the table, and sat down.

"Tell me about him," Max said into the pregnant silence. "He was your brother?"

"We were both adopted at the same time, by the same family," Izzie admitted.

"And the baby?"

Izzie lowered her face into her hands and sobbed. "We were stupid kids. We didn't even know what we were doing, what could happen…and it felt so good." She looked up with red-rimmed eyes. "When we found out I was pregnant, Rick killed himself with our Dad's gun. I gave the baby up for adoption, and left home just as soon as I could. Last I heard the baby was in Santa Barbara somewhere."

"Your daughter is in Estes Park, Colorado," Max said. "I've already talked to her adoptive parents."

Meredith Gray leaned forward. "Why on Earth would you do this to her?"

"This picture is not your brother, Isobel," Max said, ignoring Grey. "It was taken six months ago at my home. His name is Michael Guerin. He's alive and well, and is also in Commonwealth Service."

Izzie shook her head, staring. "That's impossible."

Max removed another picture and placed it on the table. It was her, but younger, with shorter hair dyed red. "What…"

"That's my sister, Isabel Evans. She is also in Commonwealth Service. She's outside the door right now, waiting to come in."

"Is this a joke?" Meredith asked.

The locked door clicked unlocked, and a woman stepped in. She wore the same style clothes as Max—loose black slacks and a gray fold-around shirt with a wide black sash. She stood lithe, tall and strong. Her hair was cut short, but was a natural brown color. She had Izzie's face, height and body. She closed the door behind her.

"Izzie, meet Isabel Evans, Jedi Padawan and agent of the Commonwealth Special Investigations Unit."

Isabel sat next to Max, across the oval table from Meredith and Izzie. The two stared at each other for the longest time before Izzie whispered, her eyes moist, "Please tell me what is going on!"

"You are a human-alien hybrid clone," Isabel said. "Like me. Like Max. We discovered you when your daughter's blood test located several alien DNA markers. The markers indicated she was Michael's and my daughter. Since Michael and I were too young to have a 12 year old daughter, aside from the fact we've never slept together, we realized there had to be another set of clones like ourselves."

"You're lying," Izzie said.

Max reached across and took her hand. "When you first saw me, you felt a moment of dizziness. That's because you recognized me. In another life, in another time, you and I were brother and sister. Your name was Volandra."

Izzie squeezed her eyes shut but did not let go of his hand.

Meredith rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Izzie?"

"I can see him," Izzie said, her head still bowed. "I can see him." She looked up, tears streaming openly now. "How is any of this possible?"

"We were the ruling family of a planet called Antar," Isabel said. "There was a military coup, and we were killed. Our mother had our DNA sent to Earth to be cloned and merged with human DNA in order to keep the resistance there alive. Max is the actual King of Antar. We are clones of his sister. In another life, Michael, your Rick, was our husband. What you and he did was programmed, Izzie. It was programmed by our parents. We felt the same urges, had the same dreams. We were just involved with other people and resisted it."

"This is so hard to believe," Meredith whispered.

"One of the fleets of alien ships from Doomsday was Antaran," Max said. "The military dictatorship there attempted the forcible colonization of Earth. Isabel, Michael and I were instrumental in stopping Antaran agents from accomplishing that goal. After Doomsday, the UN authorized us to form a special unit to monitor and eliminate alien threats to Earth. That's why we had a sample of Hannah's blood. Everyone on Earth will be tested eventually, but school children are first of the general population to be tested."

"Why are you telling me this?" Izzie said. "I'm not an alien agent. I'm a doctor. I save lives."

"You're one of us," Max said. "And you have an opportunity to be so much more. Do you remember reading about the man who destroyed the enemy ships? His name is Kyle Katarn, and he is from another galaxy. He and his student decided to stay on Earth to teach those of us with the potential to become something more than just alien. We're learning to be Jedi, protectors of the peace and this planet. Our job is more important than you could imagine. We save thousands of lives daily. And because of who and what you are, Izzie, you could be a Jedi as well. We're here because we want you to join us. We want you to learn to be a Jedi, to join the Commonwealth SIU. To rejoin the family."

"Hannah will be given opportunity to come," Isabel said. "It's already in motion. Since she has alien DNA, she falls under a special category of citizenship that authorizes us to assume guardianship over her. We've already set the wheels in motion and should be able to take custody by tomorrow if she wishes. Naturally, we do not wish to kidnap her, but if she refuses she will probably be watched the whole of her life."

Izzie sat staring as if in shock. "You want me to decide now, don't you?"

"Yes," Max said. "Things are happening right now. We need you, and we need you sooner rather than later."

"And Hannah? Are you going to have her running around the cosmos?"

"No, if you don't come, she'll probably stay with my wife and I, and her three cousins."

Izzie mouthed the word "cousins" silently.

"This is so hard to believe," Grey whispered. "And your timing stinks. Her fiancé just died. She needs time."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Max said. "I truly am. You are my sister, in the past world and this, and I grieve for you more than you know. Search your feelings, Izzie. You've always felt like an outsider. You've always felt different. Because you are. You are not human, not like your friend there. We are offering you a true home, a calling nobler than even medicine. And we are offering you our unconditional love. I am your brother. Isabel is your sister. Come with us. Please."

Izzie reached into the pocket of her coat and fingered the check. "I…I just can't right now."

Her double looked profoundly disappointed, but Max merely nodded. "Okay," he said. "We aren't going to force you into anything." He moved the pen to her. "If you change your mind, Izzie, push the tip of the pen. That's all. Just push it."

He stood and Isabel Evans stood with him. He turned and left, but Isabel tarried. "I've never had a sister before," she said softly. Then she too turned and left Dr. Izzie Stevens alone with her friend, Meredith Grey.

* * *

_P8X-412, Former Realm of Ba'al, August 27, 2006 (4 CE) Earth Calendar_

Her Divine Majesty, the Goddess Qetesh, sat upon her throne and stared down at the prior with a look of supreme confidence.

"I am a goddess," she said loudly, making sure her many followers heard. "I have no need to worship your petty gods. This planet is mine."

The prior stared at the raven-haired beauty called Qetesh and smiled calmly. "The Gao'uld are not gods. Your powers are mere tricks. The Ori have been and always shall be. Any who do not walk the Path of Origin and worship the Ori shall be thrown down and made unto dust. This is your last warning for your people."

As her Divine Majesty was about to deliver a stinging retort to the prior, three of her followers came running with wide-eyes into court, followed by a small band of strangely dressed soldiers. Instantly, everyone in the room realized who they were—these had to be the Tau'ri, the ones who somehow destroyed almost every System Lord in defense of their planet.

"Whoa there!" one of the newcomers said in a shockingly loud voice.

Qetesh stood with outrage while the prior merely watched with a mild expression as a squad of newcomers in dark green and black uniforms stepped into the Goa'uld's palace. One bore the mark of Apophis on his prominent black forehead.

"What outrage is this?"

The oldest of the newcomers stepped from the back of the party of newcomers. He looked clean-shaven with a strong line to his jaw. His broad shoulders were wrapped in a gray shirt folded across his strong chest and held under a black slash. The man completely ignored the Goa'uld and stepped directly in front of the prior.

"Do you know me?"

The prior nodded. "All priors know you. The Ori have been watching you for a hundred years, Kyle Katarn. Have you come at last to walk the Path of Origin?"

"What is this?" Qetesh railed. "I will not be ignored in my own court!" Around her, her followers lowered staff weapons at the newcomers and the prior alike, but, discounting the protestations of her Divine Majesty, Kyle ignored them.

"We have turned the Ori back before," Kyle said.

"With an army of billions and your blasphemous Force as your ally," the prior said calmly, almost in a monotone. His milky-white eyes never moved from Kyle's face. "This is not your galaxy, Kyle Katarn of the Jedi. There is no army of Jedi to save you here. The Force of this Galaxy is untouched by millennia of Jedi to wield and shape its energies. The Ascended of this Galaxy have never known a Jedi among their ranks. There will be no Chosen One here. There shall be no Balance to the Force. The people of this galaxy will either walk the Path of Origin, or be cleansed in the fires of Purity."

"Prepare to fire!" Qetesh ordered. Dozens of staff weapon points split open and charged.

Casually, Kyle turned to Qetesh, raised his hand, and her Gao'uld hand device flew from her fingers to his. "Go ahead and fire," he said to her. "After I've killed every man in your service, we'll step into the village out there and explain how the Goa'uld Qetesh was actually removed from your body ten years ago by the Tok'Ra, and how you have been playing these people for fools by pretending to be what you are not, Vala Mal Doran."

Qetesh sputtered in indignation as her people looked up at her, their weapons dropping. "He's lying!" she said.

"Prove it," another of the newcomers said, the one who spoke first. He walked past the rows of lowered staff weapons and stood before her. "If you were a Gao'uld, you should be able to whip my ass. Why don't you try now?"

So, she did. She swung a low kick that knocked his feet out from under him and then stomp-kicked him in the groin.

"Mitchell, she's not a Goa'uld, but that doesn't mean she can't still fight!" Kyle said with a shake of his head.

"And this is the army you plan to stop us with?" the prior said, actually smiling now. "My masters have little to fear."

"Eh, I take what I can get," Kyle said. "Shall I kill you, or will you leave this village on your own?"

"You will find the Ori of this galaxy are not so easily killed as those you fought in the past, Kyle Katarn."

"I believe you."

Kyle then did something only Siana before him had ever done before. Four years ago, after dueling and actually losing to Darth Krayt, Max Evans had healed his lightsaber wound. In the process, the Antaran wave, as the Jedi now called it, had entered the old Jedi's body. It was a wave of energy that changed Kyle's physiology over time, just as it had changed Siana. The same energy that made Liz Parker Antaran in power now gave Kyle the same basic powers as an Antaran.

When he raised his hand to the prior, he grasped not just the Force, but the Antaran energy within him, and funneled it through the vast Ancient knowledge still within his mind.

The prior must have realized something was different as he stepped back and raised his staff, but by then it was too late. A flash of bright white lightning exploded from Kyle's fingers. It was the ultimate combination of latent Antaran power and Force energy merged into an unstoppable burst of death.

The crystal atop the prior's staff shattered as bolts of white energy ripped through the prior's body. A moment later, the remnants of the prior flashed into fire, and then were gone, as if nothing had ever stood there.

"Most impressive, Master Katarn," Teal'c said as he jointed Kyle.

The Jedi Master bent over and rested his hands on his knees. "Yeah, but it sure does wind a guy." He straightened and took a deep breath before turning to face Qetesh, who stared at him with an open expression of fear.

"What are you?"

"Vala Mal Doran," Kyle said, ignoring her, "you are a thief and a criminal, and a liar of extraordinary bravado. You have convinced these people for the past ten years you were a God when you are nothing more than a con artist. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

She shrugged, all hint of haughtiness long gone. "Sorry?"

Suddenly she sprinted toward the far exit. Cameron Mitchell, the newest member of the Commonwealth Stargate Program, very carefully placed a boot in a strategic position and sent the Goa'uld imposter flying into the sand of her courtyard. The young colonel then whistled Winn Dixie to himself.

One of the followers lowered his staff weapon and stepped to Kyle. "My name is Azdak, her high priest. Please, I beg of you, is what you say true?"

"She is no god," Kyle said. He saw a sudden fury in the native' eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remember this, though. She was a victim, a host to a Goa'uld. She has suffered a great deal."

"Yes I have!" Vala said from the floor. "Listen to the nice man who can shoot lightning from his hand..."

"You're not helping yourself," Cameron pointed out.

"She must be punished," Azdak said.

"She will be, just not by you," Kyle said. He raised his voice. "Listen to me now. The Ori know of this world, and much of what the prior said was true. The Ori are indeed very powerful. The only way to protect yourself is to shield yourself. Bury your gate. Bury it this very day, and do not unbury it unless you have desperate need. If more priors come, you will lose your freedom, and possibly your lives."

"We will do as you say," Azdak said bowing. "You will take her?"

"We will hand her to the Jaffa Nation to be judged," Kyle said.

"Can't we talk about this?" Vala said as Cameran and Teal'c picked her up and carried her out of the courtyard. With a last nod to the stunned natives of P8X-412, Kyle turned to follow. Within the hour, at Azdak's direction, the Stargate was disconnected from the dialing device and buried under the sands of the planet's massive north continental desert.


	45. The War At Home

**Magali**--You make a good point. I tinkered a bit with her background and made her parents somewhat right-wing and fanatical. It was a way to explain the absent blood tests. In that repressive environment and with only the Michael clone with her (Zan and Tess clones were separates or killed during their crash) it's possible that they subconsciously repressed their own abilities. Or they may have known they were different without knowing why. It's a good point, though. As for the marriage part--someone on the Roswell fanatics site pointed that out as well. It was a mistake on my part. I watched the whole series rather quickly.

**Snowfur**--You betch'ya. And this may seem like she's going away, but she isn't.

**Beth Weasley**--;) I thought it was a good idea (shrugs and grins). Stop gap measures. For those societies too primitive to contribute or fight, bury the gate to stave off the inevitable. But they're only fingers in the dykes. Eventually the dam is going to break.

**Darth Malleus**--Thank you, I thought it was fun as well.

I appreciate the feed back! Magali single-handedly put me over the 100 review goal I had. Thank you so much! Not it makes me think maybe 150 is not out of reach!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Forty-Five: War At Home**

Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Friday, August 25, 2006 (4 CE), 10:28 a.m. MST

"It's the blood test," Daniel explained to Dr. Samantha O'Neill in her office atop the tallest tower in the project. Major Shepherd sat behind him with an incredulous grin, while on his left sat Siana and Liz Evans.

"So the test designed to find Antaran infiltrators can also find Jedi potentials?" Sam asked.

"Janet could answer this better than I," Daniel said as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Evidently the Ancients had a unique set of chromosomes that appear to have carried down through the generations of their descendents. Although it's likely Earth humans are not actually descended from Ancients, Oma said there was interbreeding."

"Oma, as in Oma Desala of Kheb?" Sam asked. "You saw her again?"

"Yeah, and some cocky dude named T or R or some letter," Shepherd added.

"Q," Daniel corrected helpfully. "Evidently there are more groups of ascended beings than we realized. Anyway, the uniformed services took the blood test first. Shepherd here was one of the first of the military to be tested because he recently transferred into the F-501 program and I had easy access to him through Jack. Oma confirmed he was a potential too."

"As did I," Siana said. "How many others have this gene?"

"Cassandra Frazier for one," Daniel said.

"Cassie?" Sam said. "Actually, come to think of it, that's not surprising. Remember what she could do when she hit her teens because of Niirti's experiments?"

"And your husband," Daniel said.

Sam blinked. "Jack?"

"I don't think making him a Jedi would be a very good idea," Liz said. "He'd use the Force to flick fish out of his pond and cheat at poker."

"His pond doesn't actually have fish," Sam said. "He just likes to pretend. He does cheat at poker, though."

"That proves our point too," Liz said with a grin.

"The point is, compared to other planets in the galaxy, and from what I've recently learned even in Siana's galaxy, Earth has a very large human population," Daniel continued. "It's not surprising we'd have a lot of human Jedi potentials. If even only one ten-thousandth of one percent of the human population carried the gene, that would mean over four to five thousand possible Jedi potentials."

"That number seems high," Siana said. "Even at its height the New Jedi Order was never so large. And although the old order might have been as large, not all of them were knights."

"True," Daniel said. "I don't expect to field an army wielding lightsabers. But Oma said the Ori were here, and that the Ascended would not help us. She told me that the Force was the key."

Just then the doors flew open and Fox Mulder walked in. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "I just received a call from CDF General Chekov. The Commonwealth has received a formal request for military assistance from Brazil. Evidently Colonel Green has unified almost every terrorist or rebel force in the world to come to South America and form the largest army on the continent. He's sweeping west right now, and there is nothing there to stop him."

Siana stood, and then looked down from Daniel to Liz. "Liz, start them on basic meditations. When Master Katarn returns, we'll talk more." The blue-haired Jedi fled from the room.

"I really dig that girl's hair," Shepherd said. Then he turned to Liz. "You're kind of short to be a warrior-woman, aren't you?"

Daniel looked over his shoulder at the major, then at Liz, and shrugged. "Sorry," he said.

* * *

La Paz, Bolivia, Tuesday, August 29, 2006 (4 CE), 1 p.m. Bolivian Standard Time 

Captain Jorge Sanchez de Lozada gripped his 60-year-old Russian made AK-47 and hissed at his men to be quiet. The perimeter defense of the capital city of Bolivia was a hastily erected affair of broken furniture and collapsed buildings, behind which the embattled capital held its small array of tanks and ten thousand soldiers.

For the first time in decades, the nation of Bolivia was being invaded. Only, this was not another case of Chile or Paraguay fighting them. Their invaders claimed no home country, and had done as much damage in Brazil as they so far had done in Bolivia.

The invaders recruited among the many rebels of the strife-torn country, enhancing their ranks until they numbered in the tens of thousands.

And they used armaments never seen before.

Every city of Bolivia had fallen before these new invaders, save the capital of La Paz and those few cities west of it. La Paz was to be Bolivia's last stand, and Captain Jorge Sanchez De Lozada intended to make history defending his country.

"What is that?" a private a few meters away exclaimed, pointing.

Lozada pushed himself up to look over the barricade and felt a chill run down his spine. It was a machine wrapped around a man. It walked slowly and steadily across the terrain toward them and then stopped perhaps two hundred meters away. Another similar machine stepped into the no-man's area of cleared land around the barricade, and then a third and fourth. In time, fifty of the monstrous things stood facing the city. Then came the soldiers. Their uniforms were black and covered their bodies from head to toe. They carried what looked like small miniguns hooked directly to their arms, with odd eye-pieces like monocles hanging down from the hood covering their heads. Thousands of them came, filling in the spaces between the larger machines.

Suddenly a voice started speaking to them in Spanish. The voice offered them life in return for surrender, and that if they surrendered it would be for the greater glory of not just Bolivia, but the world.

General Marquez De Santos climbed up the barricade in full view of both his men and the enemy, and lifted a bullhorn to his lips. "We will never surrender!" he shouted at them defiantly. "Viva Bolivia!" He raised his hand and began chanting it. "Viva Bolivia!"

The soldiers around him quickly picked up the chant, including Lozada. They continued to chant when one of the walking mechanical monsters pointed its arm and fired a single missile that zipped through the air much faster than any projectile had a right to.

General Marquez De Santos saw the attack and tried jumping away, but the missile struck the barricade under his feet before he could. The resulting explosion sent pieces of Bolivia's top military leader and a hundred of the nearest soldiers splattering all over the remaining army. A moment later, another missile arched over the defense and slammed into one of the army tanks. The tank exploded so violently the turret flew into a nearby building. The other tanks started exploding as well under the enemy barrage.

At that moment, as the enemy began its march while the last hope of Bolivia crumbled, Captain Jorge Sanchez De Lozada realized the defense of Bolivia was gone, and that rather than make history, he was about to be lost to it. "Christ protect me," he whispered as he clutched the crucifix to his lips.

Half an hour later, he and the entire corps of the Bolivian army were dead. The Bolivian president was dead, as were all members of congress. A new flag rose over the capital, a flag of Earth, but with the continents in yellow and the oceans in black, and through the planet, from north to south, ran a sword.

"After all," Green said while overlooking the flag, "you can't talk peace unless you're ready to back it up with war. When we have all of South America under our control, then we can talk peace."

Captain Session, his second in command and a follower from the States, nodded. The two stood atop the presidential palace overlooking the city. The streets were mostly deserted, even of the news reporters that continually attempted to cover the war. Green gave all his men orders to specifically take out reporters. He was not ready for the world to see the full extent of his power just yet.

"We already have Paraguay," Session noted. "And much of the interior of Brazil and Argentina."

Green nodded with a sense of satisfaction. He had always known he was destined for greatness. From his early years listening to his father's sermons while cleaning the family guns, to his years in the military, he knew that he was meant for more than just a middling career in the Army.

Then Kinsey contacted him on behalf of the Antarans, and he knew where his future lay. Kinsey and his masters thought Green worked for them and did their bidding. But they were fools. Green would never serve non-humans. He sought the exact opposite. He fully intended to make the Earth truly pure, for humans only.

Once that was accomplished, he would then look at which humans were more pure than others.

One of Green's many intelligence officers came running onto the roof holding a piece of paper. "Colonel Green," the man said in Spanish, "We have word that the Commonwealth has begun landing troops in Peru!"

Green nodded without surprise. "It was only a matter of time," he said, also in fluent Spanish. "Do we know if any SIU agents are with them?"

"Yes! We have learned there are at least three SIU agents with the army."

"Excellent. Get me enemy numbers and equipment." The colonel turned to Session. "Marshall the men and get the exo-suits rearmed. We'll be having company probably by nightfall."

"So soon?"

"By hoverjet they are only an hour away," Green pointed out. "I expect we'll be seeing advanced elements within the day."

"Should we worry about orbital barrages?"

Green smiled. "Of course not. The UEC charter forbids any orbital attacks on Earth of any kind. They can't fire on us from defense satellites or any of their new space ships. This will be a war fought on land and air. Go now."

"Yes, sir!" Session saluted sharply and turned to go about his assignment.

"This is my world," Green whispered to himself.

* * *

Dakara, Capital of the Jaffa Nation, August 29, 2006 (4 CE) 

Gerak sat in the pinnacle of the horse-shoe shaped desk of the Jaffa High Council and stared with a stern expression at the speaker standing so calmly before them.

The speaker held a long, crystal-topped staff in his right hand while holding a leather-bound book to his chest with the other. His white robe had a hood pulled over his head, although his bone-colored skin and milky eyes were clearly visible.

When the Prior finished speaking, Gerak stood. "We have finally thrown the yoke of false gods off our shoulders, and now you want us to burden ourselves with new ones?"

"The Ori are not false," the Prior said with a beatific smile. He looked at a Jaffa sitting near the end of one side of the table. The Jaffa was a man in his late thirties, with a thick black goatee and a burned-off scar on his forehead where his father had removed a symbol of slavery from him.

"The Ori have the power of death," the Prior said. The Jaffa he looked at, Rak'Nor, suddenly paled as his body lifted into the air. Everyone there heard a loud snap as the Jaffa's head spun sharply to an impossible angle.

The other council members stood angrily, reaching for their weapons.

"And the Ori have the power of life," the Prior continued.

Rak'Nor's neck popped again. Color returned to his face as he sucked in a gasping breath and collapsed to his chair. He grabbed the table, shaking visibly as the others stared on in shock.

"I am merely a shadow of the Ori, a Prior to spread the word of their greatness. Learn to walk the Path of Origin, and you too will benefit from the power of life. Choose to reject the Ori, and you will feel their power of death."

The council doors opened and Teal'c walked in wearing his council robes. Behind him came Cameron Mitchell, Kyle Katarn, and the rest of a Commonwealth SG team and Vala Mal Doran, still dressed in her flimsy gold Qetesh outfit.

"This council is in session!" Gerak cried, outraged at the interruption more than the Ori's apparent murder attempt on a council member.

"And I am a member of this council," Teal'c said calmly. He walked past the Prior and took the only empty seat—right next to the still stunned Rak'Nor.

"They are not!" Gerak snarled, pointing at the others.

"They are here at my invitation," Teal'c said.

"And mine!" a voice on the opposite side of the table said. Bra'tac stood and stared at the others. "I have word that Master Katarn has personally killed three priors now. And you, Gerak, witnessed the Tau'ri destroy a prior while attempting to invade our galaxy. I for one am glad he is here."

The Prior seemed to ignore the exchange as he turned to face Katarn. While he wore a beatific smile before the council, his face was deathly serious when he looked at the Jedi. "The Ori grow weary of you, Kyle Katarn," the Prior said.

"Then they should get out of this galaxy," Kyle said. "I'm staying."

"You will die."

"Do your masters really want an ascended Jedi Master in this galaxy?"

The Prior's face remained implacable and the crystal atop his staff began to glow. "You are a demon to be cast down, Kyle Katarn. Anger the Ori any further, and you shall know the full power of their…"

The Prior's staff flew from his hand into Kyle's. "Weren't expecting that, were you?" Kyle said.

The Prior's eyes widened in shock even as his whole body simultaneously burst into flame. The Jaffa council members backed away in shock as the Prior burned into ash right before their eyes.

"The Ori don't like it when their servents lose their staffs to Jedi," Kyle explained to the stunned council. He swung the staff and slammed its crystal against the floor, then stared down every single member of the council, one at a time, before finally resting his eyes on Gerak.

"There is no dialogue with the Ori. There is no negotiation. You either worship them as slaves, or fight them. I believe you know where the Tau'ri stand. Like you, the Tau'ri have suffered enough. But I will not lie to you. The Prior did not lie. The Ori are gods. They are ascended beings just like the Ancients, but with the hearts of the Gao'uld. They will enslave you, or try with all their might to kill you all. And their powers over death are far greater than over life. The only way you can survive is to decide right now. Fight with us, or face enslavement or death. Of all the people in this galaxy, I am the only person alive who has fought the Ori and lived. I saw trillions of people perish in our war against them. But we won. And we can win here, but only with your assistance."

Gerek stood stiffly. "You ask us to bow down to you? How is that better than bowing to the Ori?"

"The difference is I don't want you to bow down before me," Kyle said. "I want you to fight beside me." He walked into the space between the arms of the table until he stood across the narrow table from Gerak. "I don't want servants. I want warriors. Equals. Partners. I sense within you great strength and conviction, Gerak. I would never ask for you to serve me. But I and all the Tau'ri would be honored if you fought beside us against the worst enemy this galaxy has ever faced."

Gerak was never a man to show emotion on his face. Although few knew this of him, while acting as First Prime of Montu his son led a contingent of Jaffa into battle against another minor Gao'uld and lost the day. In his rage, the Gao'uld Montu ordered Gerak to kill the boy. Believing Montu was his god, Gerak did exactly as ordered. No one had ever seen him smile since.

Nor did he smile now as he faced Kyle. He did, however, nod curtly. "Very well then," he said. "We shall be allies."

"Maybe we should work up a treaty," Cam suggested from the back of the room.

Looking Gerak in the eye, Kyle shook his head and instead extended his arm. "This is all the contract a man like Gerak needs."

"Indeed," Gerak said. He took the proffered arm in a tight grip. He then noticed the figure behind them. "And who is that?"

"I criminal taken into custody on a Jaffa world. We bring her to you for whatever justice you see fit."

Behind them, Vala held up her chin. "Indeed," Garak said.

* * *

La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, August 31, 2006 (4 CE), 12:56 a.m. Bolivian Standard Time 

The hoverjet flew at five thousand feet over the Bolivian border in the dead of night. Running solely on repulsor coils, the ship moved with all the silence of a dirigible. The three occupants of the converted Blackhawk helicopter stood at the open door, staring down. Below them, completely darkened against air raids, they could see the city of La Paz.

"This is our last chance," Siana said. She looked first at Michael, then Tess. Both were clad in black armored body suits. Both carried not just their lightsabers, but also Antaran amplifier guns recovered from exposed and neutralized Antaran agents. Both looked scared but determined.

"I'm ready," Michael said.

Tess took a deep breath and nodded as well. "Me too."

"Now we've practiced jumps like this before," Siana continued, "but never live. Not even me."

"You mean Jedi don't do this all the time?" Michael asked.

"Michael, Jedi can't fly. What we are now…this is something more than just Jedi."

Tess giggled a little hysterically. "We're hybrid Jedi."

Even Siana smiled. "Yes, we are. And we can fly. Are you ready?"

The other two nodded, and with a wave at the still incredulous pilot, the three of them jumped out of the hoverjet.

The rush of air was deafening at first. Siana reached with the Force to the other two, who responded in kind. They drifted back together and held hands as they fell. The darkened ground rushed up with terrifying speed.

_Now_! Siana thought. With Jedi, it would have been a message through the Force. But like Tess said, they were more than just Jedi. Now, with them holding hands, her thought was sent through straight telepathy.

The three of them pushed. In a combination of Antaran power and the Force, the push brought all three of them to a gradual stop just a few meters from the ground. Siana reached out with the Force, noted all the Force signatures nearby, and the three of them drifted gently to the ground.

They communicated with thought and motion, moving silently through the war-torn city. They moved at times faster than the heavily armored sentries could follow, while at other times stood so still it seemed they were statues.

Their goal was the presidential palace, surrounded by a phalanx of heavy armored, powered body suits and a ring of doped up soldiers. Green's grotesque parody of the UEC flag over the palace announced like a clarion where he was.

Harnessing powers unknown to either the Jedi or Antarans alone, the three levitated themselves off the ground and essentially flew past the perimeter guard around the palace. Not surprisingly, there were a dozen or more guards pacing across the roof of the palace.

The three came to a rest on the roof top and crouched down. Michael and Siana both looked to Tess, who closed her eyes and concentrated. Each of the Royal Four had unique powers and abilities. Of all, Tess's was the most devastating in its scope. Not only could she kill with pyrokinesis, but with her mind warping abilities, she could make even large groups of people see whatever she wanted them to see.

After a moment of concentration, she nodded and the three of them casually stood and walked past the sentries to the roof door. Michael grabbed the knob, smiled as it clicked, and pulled it open.

Siana's danger sense flared suddenly. The others felt it as well and all three shot into the air, but it was too late. The entire building exploded in a single, massive fireball that enveloped all three Jedi.

A hundred meters away, the three landed hard on a grassy knoll of an abandoned park. Their armored body suits had protected them against much of the fire and shrapnel, but the portion of heat and debris that got through was enough. Much of Tess's hair was burned away, and half her face was blackened with fire. Michael's right hand was black and he simply lay unconscious.

Siana felt burns on her cheek and neck as well, as well as a break in her leg where she landed. She felt her suit automatically inject painkillers into her bloodstream while its emergency beacon activated, but as she heard the mechanical thud of approaching power suits, she knew there could be no help.


	46. A Knight In Shining Armor

**tojju**--Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

**snowfur**--You know he would, too. And he'd probably use the Force to give NID officials wedgies.

Thanks as always for reading and for the reviews! I really appreciate them.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Six: A Knight in Shining Armor**

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Thursday, August 31, 2006 (4 EC), 1:24 a.m. MST_

Delvin Ostrael sat up gasping in his bed.

The apartments the Terrans had provided Ostrael and most of the rest of the former Imperials were luxurious compared to living on a star destroyer. His one-bedroom apartment had almost two hundred square meters of living space with a water-fed refresher and a nice kitchen and dining area.

All the furnishings were provided. Ostrael owned nothing, save for a small chest of belongings he brought with him from the _Dragon's Claw_.

He climbed out of his bed and walked into the living room, where the sliding glass doors onto his balcony afforded a tenth-story view of the surrounding valley. The area was at once stark and yet also beautiful. It reminded him in many ways of his home world of Dreylan.

For some reason, though, when he looked out over the landscape, he did not see memories of home, or even of Ruby Valley. He saw blue hair; blue eyes. He felt pain and terrible danger.

Ostrael was not a Jedi. He did not really share the Jedi philosophies of the Living Force. But he was strong in the Force regardless of its philosophical bent, in ways the Jedi would never have known.

The problem he faced now was that nobody knew of his true mission. He kept his lightsaber hidden inside a statue that was actually built for just that purpose, with an internal lock that could only be accessed with the Force. Not even Captain Shintre knew what he was. His orders had come from the Emperor himself.

"Watch these Sith, Delvin," Emperor Roan Fel had said to him before the _Dragon's Claw_ was commissioned. "I sense they will be a greater threat even than the Jedi."

The Emperor was right, of course. Almost as soon as the Jedi fell, Darth Krayt had moved to overthrow the emperor. Now that Krayt was dead, however, who knew what the state of the empire was.

His primary loyalty as an Imperial Knight was still to his emperor, and his primary duty remained the same—to safeguard the Empire and spy on its enemies.

But now, so far away from his home, for the first time in his life he felt those loyalties challenged. Earth was not an enemy of the Empire. No one in this galaxy really was.

Somehow, he knew that Siana Delun was in trouble and needed help.

He sighed deeply and walked to the primitive communication device his apartment was provided with. He lifted the speaker and pressed 0.

"Ruby Valley Relay," a friendly voice said in English.

"This is Delvin Ostrael," he said with his still thick Basic accent. "I would like to request an audience with Dr. O'Neill as soon as possible. It is an emergency concerning the Jedi."

There was a long pause, followed by a sleepy voice. "Commander Ostrael," O'Neill said. Even over the phone he could hear her stifling a yawn. "How can I help you?"

"I would very much like to speak to you concerning the Jedi, Doctor."

He heard a beep over the line. "I need to take another call," O'Neill said. Ostrael waited patiently, sensing something important was happening. Moments later, the line clicked and he once again heard O'Neill's voice. "Commander, please come to the headquarters building in twenty minutes. A guard will be at the front door to escort you."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Ostrael took the opportunity to quickly shower and change. The only clothes from his past was his Imperial uniform, which the Earthlings had graciously allowed him to keep. In the absence of anything else, he pulled on a pair of black slacks and a grey polo shirt.

The guard waited as promised at the entrance of the Ruby Valley headquarters building. He followed a step behind the guard, thinking how foolish it was for a guard to allow a visitor to walk behind him. Then he dismissed the idea. He was not the enemy here.

The elevator flew up at near-turbo lift speeds, until the doors slid open and he found himself in the reception area of the doctor's personal office suite. The guard nodded for him to continue, and he did so past the double doors.

Inside the office was fully lit. Dr. Samantha O'Neill sat behind her desk with rings of sleep still visible under her eyes. Beside her stood three of the Jedi Padawans - Liz Evans, her husband Max and Max's sister Isabel. The three stared as Ostrael stepped into the office.

"Thank you for seeing me, Doctor," Ostrael said.

"You said it was something important regarding the Jedi," O'Neill said without preamble.

Ostrael nodded, reached behind his back, and removed the black cylinder the guard had never bothered to notice. He felt the padawans tense, but moved slowly and stepped forward to place the weapon on her desk.

"I don't understand," O'Neill said. "This is a lightsaber."

"Yes."

"Whose?"

"Mine. The Jedi were not the only Force adepts in our galaxy."

He felt Max and Isabel bristling. Oddly enough, Liz just studied him. "You're not Sith," she said.

"No," Ostrael confirmed. "I am in the service of His Majesty, Emperor Roan Fel of the Galactic Empire. The Jedi of my galaxy would call me a gray Jedi, since I pledged my loyalty to something other than the Force. We called ourselves Imperial Knights."

O'Neill sat up and studied the black and silver handle. "Delvin, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"My job was to spy on the Sith. My Lord felt the Sith were untrustworthy allies and suspected they would turn on him. He was right. I was on board the _Dragon's Claw_ as his personal agent. That assignment did not end with our surrender. In fact, it still has not ended."

"Then why are you here?"

"I had a dream. Siana has been hurt. Whatever mission you sent her on has been unsuccessful. I sense it was a trap."

"I sensed it too," Isabel said. "All of them are hurt. Michael, Tess and Siana."

"And at the same time, since you both called me at the same time," O'Neill said. She rubbed her face with both hands. When she lowered them, she gave Ostrael a piercing look. "Why are you really here, Delvin?"

"I wish to help find her," he said.

"Why?"

"I admire her a great deal. Although the Empire was technically at war with the GFFA the Jedi supported, the Imperial Knights never considered ourselves enemies of the Jedi, not like the Sith." He looked from Isabel to Max and Liz. "The three of you are very powerful—I can feel it. But you are not fully trained in the ways of the Force. I am. If we are going to save her, you will need my help."

"I can't fight next to someone whose loyalties are unclear," Max Evans said firmly.

Ostrael studied the young man carefully. The Imperial Knight was two years shy of thirty, which gave him several more years of hard experience than the man standing before him. And yet, like the other Antaran Jedi, he shone with power in the Force. And he was asking Ostrael to make a choice.

"I am an Imperial Knight," Ostrael said. "My loyalty is clear. But Earth is not an enemy of the Empire, and I have received no orders to make it one. In the absence of such orders, I act as I see fit. And right now I see fit to help a Jedi in need."

"And just how do you suggest you do that?" O'Neill asked.

"We attack the enemy and kill them until we have Siana back."

"And what will you need?" Max asked.

"Advanced stormtrooper armor. I understand you have several suits here for study. Blasters, thermal detonators. And a distraction."

"We can probably come up with something as a distraction," O'Neill said.

Just hours later, Delvin and Isabel stood on the landing platform atop the administration tower watching as Max and Liz said goodbye.

"Your first adventure without me," Liz said. "I could go, you know. I could help you."

"I know," Max said. "We've already lost three Jedi. Someone has to stay to continue with Master Katarn. And you both know it would be unfair to our kids to place us both in danger."

"If I didn't know that, I wouldn't be letting you go alone," Liz said. She wrapped him in a tight hug, leaned up and kissed him fiercely. "I'll protect the kids, and I'll wait for you. You'd better come back."

"I promise," Max said.

Liz stepped back and lifted her chin to be brave under cool early morning wind. Max stepped to Delvin and Isabel's sides and lifted his hand right as the plasma erupted around them, and Robert Lincoln's transport took them to the other end of the world.

It was only after they were gone that Liz wiped new tears from her eyes and turned to go back to her family.

* * *

_Tacan, Peru, Satuday, September 2, 2006 (4 EC), 12:23 p.m. Bolivian Standard Time_

Earth had put four kilometer-long destroyers and fifteen defense satellites in space with ion and turbolaser cannons based on, and in many cases taken directly from a _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer. They had a new breed of fighter developed in just under twelve months that combined the best of Gao'uld and Imperial technology to produce the most advanced space/air combat vehicle ever seen in the galaxy. Cybernetics had advanced a hundred years with the aid of the Imperial medlab technicians. And cars flew at six hundred miles an hour through the air, using less energy to circle the globe than a 1995 Chevy Suburban took to drive a hundred miles.

And yet with all the advances in science that swept the Earth since Doomsday, the look of war remained largely a manual affair.

Delvin Ostrael watched the soldiers unloading from the water-borne landing vehicles with interest as they traveled up from the wide swath of beach and sandy hills toward the town. Even more were coming in on old rotor-driven transports the Terrans called helicopters. Only rarely did he see any type of hovervehicle.

What the Commonwealth lacked in advanced weaponry it made up for with dedication. The UEC Defense Force under General Chekov had assigned two entire army groups to South America, bringing in almost half a million men and women.

Chekov himself was personally overseeing the deployment. It was a politically sensitive operation since it was the very first large-scale deployment of military forces under the UEC. "The whole world is watching," Chekov said to Max and Isabel after the two of them, with Ostrael, had teleported into the UEC temporary command quarters. "Paraguay and Chile never signed the Charter. If we free them, we have promises from their governments in exile that they will do so. If this goes right, there is a good chance even the holdover governments will sign on."

Ostrael listened with interest to the exchange, amazed at the state of the planet. Very few planets in his galaxy were so primitive as to be divided into separate nation states. Most single-species planets had had a unified planetary government in place for many generations. But like so many other things the Imperials found when Darth Krayt forced them into this galaxy, Earth was very primitive.

Yet, they were undeniably human. Ostrael watched the officers issuing orders in a variety of languages to soldiers under a common uniform, but from nations all over the planet. They moved with purpose and confidence. This was the future—Earth was on the verge of achieving a single, unified world government.

Colonel Green threatened that government, and perhaps the future of the world.

"So what are we going to do?" Chekov demanded. He and the Jedi sat in the top story of a converted office building. Chekov had two aides, one Russian, one Australian. They stood behind the General, ready to do his bidding.

Ostrael looked down at the maps of the country side. At least the target was not in the depths of the jungles that dominated the continent. "You attack according to your original plans," he said. "The Jedi and I will simply ride in advance of your attack. Dr. O'Neill authorized the release of three scout speeder bikes for us to go forward. It is our hope that your attack will distract the defenders sufficiently for us to infiltrate the place where the other Jedi are being held."

"Are you sure they are alive?" Chekov asked.

Ostrael looked to Isabel and Max. They nodded. "Yes," he said.

Chekov leaned over the map and started making marks around the city. "The only thing more important than killing the enemy is saving the civilians. That is my primary mandate from Commonwealth. Therefore there will be no advanced air strikes. Instead, I will be landing a fleet of choppers and paratroopers in the middle of the city to hold the airport. With all these mountains, the airport is the only effective portal into the city we have. We will be landing men with light to moderate arms and some advanced blaster weapons from your people."

"E-webs, yes, I saw that," Ostrael nodded with approval. "That should make up somewhat the difference in armaments they will encounter."

"You have done this before?"

"I was the executive officer aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer, General. I've personally commanded three planetary invasions with troops numbering in the millions."

Chekov leaned back to study the young man. "And you are judging our efforts, yes?"

"No." Ostrael touched the man. "You know your people and your capabilities better than I, and the plan you've developed appears as sound as anything I could come up with. My one and only concern is saving the captured Jedi."

"Well, we will give you as much help as we can," Chekov said, evidently satisfied. "In addition to the landings I spoke of, we will also be dropping a hundred special forces teams within the city itself. These teams will be using repulsor belts instead of parachutes and will be dropped at just twenty meters from hoverjets going at top speed. They will also be the first ones into the airport."

Ostrael leaned back, genuinely surprised. "Repulsor belts?" Suddenly he shook his head and smiled. "General, I hadn't even thought about that."

Beside him, Max Evans smiled. "You want to hitch a ride with one of those teams?" he said to Ostrael.

"If the General will allow," Ostrael said, turning to Chekov.

"Only if I get to use those speeder bikes for something else," Chekov said.

"Done!"

"Very well. The advanced teams go in tonight. It is a new moon, so we should have good cover. This stormtrooper armor you use, it has night vision?"

"And infrared, and thermal, and limited X-ray," Ostrael said. "It's advanced armor with a light cloak that makes it nearly invisible in darkness."

"Sounds like you will have fun, then."

* * *

Siana woke up in pain. She tried to sink back down into a healing trance, but felt a sharp slap to her already charred cheek. The pain was so intense it shot through her entire body and elicited a cry she never thought she would ever make.

She opened her good eye and saw a man staring back at her. "My name is Colonel Phillip Green," he whispered. "And you must be Siana Delun, the root of all my woes."

She was bound very tight, but that was not what concerned her. She felt…odd. Wrong. Then she realized the Force was not with her. When she tried to reach for it, it was gone.

"Don't even try your powers," he said. "Something the FBI Special Unit found out while studying Antaran aliens back from the '49 crash and proven with Max Evans a few years later. Most of the Antaran powers, and now it seems the Jedi abilities, come from the cerebral cortex. We've injected you with a serum that blocks the neurotransmitters of that region of your brain. You're not going anywhere."

Siana forced a deep, ragged breath as tears streamed down her good cheek. "What do you want?"

"I want you to suffer a little before you die," Green said. He leaped across the small cube of a room they occupied and grabbed her blue hair right on the burn-line of her scalp. "You ruined me! That crash ruined me. I was developing a corps of loyal officers and when the Antarans came in 2012, I was going to purify the world! I was going to use their weapons against them and make Earth what God wanted it to be. But when you crashed, you changed everything. That Sith lord that followed you killed one of the Antaran supersoldiers and they panicked, moving everything up by ten years. And that ruined me and the crusade God had appointed me to fight."

He stood and paced calmly across the room. "Kivar wanted you all dead. I will do so, but not because of him. He can give me all the weapons in the world, but you're going to die because of what you did to me."

Force or not, Siana did not need power to see the insanity in the man's eyes. There were no words she could say that would change his course.

"Then enjoy it while you can," she did say. "You won't have long to enjoy our deaths. This world will not tolerate your kind any more, Green. The Commonwealth is already mustering forces against you."

"It doesn't matter," Green said. "Let them come. When they do, I will see them, this city, and the whole damned continent burned. Let's see if the world can survive another Doomsday!"

He turned and strode out, leaving Siana wracked with pain from her burns, and terror for what the madman held in store for his world.


	47. Fingers In The Dike

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Snowfur**--He is indeed. But we don't have to suffer him long. Thanks for reading and posting!**

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**Chapter Forty-Seven: Fingers in the Dike**

UECS _Daedalus, _Saturday, September 2, 2006 (4 AD Commonwealth Calendar), 12:14 a.m. Universal Time

Admiral Jack O'Neill and Jedi Master Kyle Katarn sat in the rec room of Earth's most advanced space-based command carrier and played checkers.

Someone who didn't know either man would have thought a fleet admiral and Jedi Master would play chess. After all, chess is a game of intricate strategy and thought. It was slow and deliberate. It was in complete contrast to the personalities of the two men currently playing checkers.

"King me," Katarn said.

Jack grudgingly put the king on, then saw an opening and secured his own king.

"So what's our next step?" Jack asked. "We can't keep putting fingers in the dikes forever. We'll eventually run out of fingers."

Kyle nodded and looked over the board. He moved his king behind one of Jack's lagging pieces. "I've been thinking about that. But for some reason, I can't get the Antarans out of my mind."

Jack moved the threatened piece. "They sure did a number on the Gao'uld and that Star Destroyer of yours. I understand the _Dragon's Claw_ killed a lot of them, but they still showed pretty strong."

"Thor said they are only a few generations behind the Asgard in technology, but many, many generations more advanced physically. Their powers are impressive."

"Yeah, Sam was telling me," Jack said. "King Max changed you, right?"

Kyle hopped over two of Jack's pieces. "King me. Yeah. It's changed me. I would never have been able to kill those Priors the way I did if it hadn't. The Antaran energy in me is acting like an augmenter. Every time I reach for the Force, this energy takes it and strengthens my hold on it. It's exhilarating and a little frightening." He leaned forward until his back popped. "If I went back to my galaxy, I would be the most powerful Force user in the history of the Jedi. Then Siana. Then Max and the other padawans. It's almost as if the Force itself is trying to give us some balance against the Ori to make up for our lack of numbers."

Jack took one of Kyle's kings. "So, you were thinking about the Antarans?"

"I was thinking what a great ally they would be," Katarn said.

"They don't like us."

"From what I understand, Kivar doesn't like us. But there was a pretty significant base of support for the Royal Four, enough of one to continue a civil war for decades. It may be time for Max to step up and deal with Kivar."

"Interesting," Jack said, then he watched as Kyle showed the loss of his king was a trap that took out all but one of Jack's pieces. "What do you think Max is doing right now?"

"Probably trying to save Siana, Michael and Tess."

Jack leaned back, eyebrow cocked. "Save them from what?"

"Something happened. I felt Siana's pain. It was all I could do to keep from asking the ship be turned around."

"Why didn't you?"

"I felt through the Force I wouldn't get there in time, and that other actors are taking steps to get her."

"That's why you're up at midnight playing checkers with me?"

Kyle nodded. "Yep."

Both men looked up when Captain Shintre stepped into the room. Despite the late hour, he was immaculate in his uniform. "Gentlemen," he said. "We have been contacted by a Jaffa ship which states they detected weapons fire in a system twenty light years core-ward. I inquired and was told the territory was under the control of a trading and crime syndicate called the Lucian Alliance."

Kyle rose to his feet. "The Ori couldn't pick a fight with us, so they've located someone else that will oblige them."

"Best speed to the Alliance world, Captain," Jack said. "Inform the Jaffa ship that we may have an Ori beachhead and will need any help they can provide."

Shintre saluted sharply and turned to carry out his order. "This should get interesting," the admiral said.

"I hope to the Force not," Kyle said. "But I fear you're right."

* * *

_La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 AD Commonwealth Calendar), 12:54 a.m. Bolivian Standard Time_

A hoverjet, even a converted one, is completely silent when running on coils only with no jet propulsion. Although relatively slow, it is the surest way to sneak a craft into enemy airspace without visual sightings or sound signature.

Radar was always a problem, but flying almost at rooftop altitude over the darkened city, not even the radar had a chance to detect the twenty converted Blackhawk helicopters. Each held a strike force of ten men almost as heavily armed as the mechanical power suits that Colonel Green employed.

Two hundred men jumped out of the hoverjets with no parachutes and only thick belts around their waists to save their lives. This was only the fifth such jump these soldiers had made with repulsor belts, but not one hesitated. They were the best in the world, each team drawn intact from nations around the world. Russian, Israeli, American, English, French, German and Chinese special forces teams worked together with the sole objective of capturing the airport.

They landed silently in shadowed areas around the airport and immediately went for the pre-arranged targets. The first sign Green's defenders had that they were under attack was when three RPGs struck the power suit that stood guard near the tarmac of the airport.

The rocket propelled grenades struck the back of the suit and caused the operator to stumble forward before he turned around quickly and unleashed his mini-gun. He promptly destroyed his own force's checkpoint before two E-web blaster cannons unleashed their own brand of punishment. The powersuit exploded and toppled backward onto the tarmac.

Almost at the same time, four teams rushed into the control building (not being tall enough to warrant the term "tower"), quickly overcoming the soldiers stationed there. These men barely merited the word soldier, and put up no resistance.

The other teams met with similar success. The only casualties were when they encountered Green's core soldiers—those equipped either with full power suits or the armored body suits.

The signal went out, and almost immediately a fleet of helicopters fell upon the city in numbers the people of La Paz had never seen. Over two hundred Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters descended onto the tarmac of the single-runway airport in the center of La Paz, and almost immediately there was counter-fire.

Two Chinooks took direct hits from lightning-fast missiles of an unknown type and exploded in mid-air. A Blackhawk also took a hit from a line of two power suits in the middle of the city.

Instantly a fleet of Apache and Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters swooped in with thermal imaging and splattered each suit with a barrage of 30 millimeter cannons. Each suit crumpled under the withering rain.

The anti-aircraft fire continued and Commonwealth losses mounted, but the fleet of attack helicopters buzzing around the city was quick to take out every source of enemy fire.

As soldiers began spreading out over the city, the first transport planes began arriving. Mostly C-17 Globemaster IIs, the propeller-driven planes swept in low over the mountains from the West to avoid the more intensive AA fire from the eastern side of the city. The planes arrived one at a time, and quickly disgorged armored transports and the occasional light tank. By the time the sun had risen, the Commonwealth had over ten thousand soldiers in La Paz with more coming.

But in the middle of the night, when the first landings were taking place, nothing was certain.

The hoverjet carrying Max, Isabel and Delvin Ostrael swooped in from the mountains on full burn, just half an hour behind the line of vehicles that helped take the airport. Ahead of them Ostrael could see streaks of light, followed by balloons of flame from downed Commonwealth aircraft. Set in the middle of a canyon, the city proved to be a shooting gallery for those on the ground.

"Satellite shows the presidential palace was destroyed in an explosion last night," Max said. He sat on a bench with the rest of the special ops teams. These particular men were from England and were former Special Air Services (SAS) soldiers now under direct Commonwealth command.

"Any idea where Green is holding them?" Ostrael said.

"The congress building," Max said. "They all have GPS dermal implants just under their skin. We've got a solid lock on all three."

Ostrael chose not to comment on how dangerous it was to have a special operative of any kind with a transponder. Still, in this case it was a boon.

"Where are we going to land?" he asked the SAS commander.

"Right in the middle of the bloody plaza," the commander, a lieutenant near Ostrael's age, said with a tight grin. Ostrael found it odd the man's accent was not so dissimilar from his own.

Overhead, a dull yellow light came on, and the men around them began to prepare. With a nod to Max and Isabel, Ostrael pulled on his black stormtrooper advanced helmet. The other two did the same. The only concession to Isabel's gender was a greater depth to her chestplate, but designed so as to not clearly shout out "woman". Although still rare, women were allowed into stormtrooper service under the new Empire, and the policy was to hide the gender as much as possible behind the armor.

They soared past the airport and through their thermal imaging saw the scores of UEC soldiers quickly overcoming Green's forces. Then they continued into the canyon itself.

"We're taking fire," the pilot cried. Ostrael removed the Blastec sniper rifle provided by Dr. O'Neill from the holster across his back and activated its automated tracking system. He sank his mind into the Force and waited.

Not surprisingly, a missile shot up from the surface toward them. With the Force and the rifle's own tracking system guiding him, he sighted and fired on the missile in a heartbeat, destroying it mid-air. He then sighted on the source of the missile and fired a prolonged burst.

Like a disrupter, the sniper rifle delivered a thin, relatively long laser blast that slid easily through the head cover of the suit operator.

From the other side of the jet, another missile shot at them. "Hold on!" the SAS commander called.

With nods to each other, Max and Isabel rushed to the far side, held hands to synchronize themselves, and with the Force and their own native abilities pushed the missile back on its previous course.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a Terran missile. The projectile immediately righted itself and resumed its course. With nothing else to do, Max created a shield around the cargo area of the transport.

The missile struck the shield dead-on, knocking Max back on his haunches and sending the craft into a spin.

"We're close enough, blast it!" the commander cried. "Everybody jump now!"

Ostrael grabbed Max and jumped with Isabel a step behind. They tumbled freely through the air until their repulsor belts activated automatically ten meters from the ground. They slowed at a gradual but fast rate until they hit the ground with all the force of a two foot hop.

"Are you all right?" Ostrael asked Max.

"Yeah, just shaken up a bit," Max confessed.

Ostrael nodded and looked east. "I can feel her."

"We can too," Isabel said. "All of them. They're in pain."

"So where do you chaps want us?" the SAS lieutenant, Swanson, said.

Ostrael studied the man. "Are you at our convenience?"

"Yes, sir. General's personal orders"

"Then come with us and kill anything with a gun," Ostrael said.

They began walking through the maze of the city. With their thermal sighting strong enough to differentiate a tenth of a degree Celsius from ten kilometers, Ostrael, Max and Isabel could see every person in every building around them. The SAS also had thermal sighting, but not with such potency.

"Powersuit around the corner," Ostrael said. "Looks like they have two armored men across the street in an alley waiting for an ambush." With his helmet on internal, the only sound the SAS men heard was a muffled whisper. "Have either of you ever levitated grenades?"

"No, but it shouldn't be a problem," Max said.

Ostrael turned to Lieutenant Swanson. "We've got a powersuit and two more heavy guns around the corner," he whispered. "We are going to deploy grenades. After the boom, rush in firing. The grenades will hurt the soldiers, but only distract the powersuit."

Then, to the silent amazement of the British, Ostrael, Max and Isabel each removed an Imperial-issue thermal detonator, levitated it around the corner, and guided each one with the Force until their targets were hit.

Shocked or not, the SAS men moved without hesitation. Both men in the armored suits were dead and the powersuit had been knocked over, but it was climbing back to its metal-clawed feet quickly.

The ten-man team let loose a volley of blaster fire from Imperial weapons that put the suit down.

Five more times they encountered similar traps, and each time the Jedi and Ostrael were able to diffuse the trap to allow their escorts to clean up afterward. Finally, they made it to the plaza facing the Bolivian national congress building. The building was filled with armed men. On the second floor, east wing, Ostrael could make out prone figures held in small rooms. Each figure's heat signature was well above human norms.

"Commander," Ostrael said. "Do you have authority to request air strikes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Send a request now," Ostrael said. "I would love to see the entire west wing of that building in a pile of rubble."

"Sounds like fun." He nodded to his communications man and the request went out. Just minutes later, two Apache attack helicopters soared over the tree line of the plaza and unloaded two entire tubes of 19 rockets each into the building. Seventy-six free-flight rockets with unitary impact-detonating warheads slammed into the west wing of the Bolivian congressional seat, bringing down the entire front half of the building.

As those on the east wing fired on the helicopters, the two Apaches each fired a Hellfire air-to-ground missile, destroying the rest of the wing. Their mission completed, the two gunships started to pull away.

"Damn," Ostrael muttered. Max and Isabel also saw as a powersuit stepped around the edge of the east wing and fired a pair of missiles and its minigun at the two Apaches.

The missiles struck the center of the fuselage of each gunship, causing both to explode and fall to the ground. From the top of the congressional building, Green's supporters raised a cheer.

"Bad luck, that," Swanson said. "All right, chaps, where next?"

"There!" Ostrael said, pointing to the still standing portion of the building. He removed his black-handled lightsaber from his utility belt. Behind him Max and Isabel did the same.

"Head on attack may not be a bright move, bloke," Swanson noted.

"Head on?" Ostrael asked. "I didn't mean at them. I mean over them." He slapped on his repulsor belt and jumped into the air.

"I like the way this bloke thinks," Swanson said as the two Jedi and his squad followed.

There were close to forty heavily armed and armored men on the roof of the surviving wing of the congressional building. They were hopelessly outmatched by the three Jedi that fell in their midst. Ostrael's silver lightsaber flashed with deadly accuracy, while the two blue blades of Max and Isabel were equally devastating to the enemy. By the time Swanson and his squad landed, the roof was cleared. "My God," the lieutenant said as he surveyed the damage. "What are you people?"

"Special Investigation Unit," Max said with a grin. "Lieutenant, from now on your primary goal is to take out any power suits below us and hold this position, and have an emergency transport standing by. We'll be back up with the survivors as soon as possible."

"If we're not back in half an hour," Ostrael added, "call in air strikes to take the rest of the building out, and leave."

"Right. Good luck, then!"

The two Jedi and Imperial Knight nodded curtly in quick understand, and then ran to jump off the shattered edge of the roof. With the west wing completely destroyed, the two floors below were open to the air. Men were waiting for them, weapons firing, but three lightsabers spun with preternatural speed and easily deflected the fire.

An invisible force pulled dozens of men off the floor to crash into the wreckage below. Many were impaled by shards of wood or twisted steel, while others landed stunned but otherwise unharmed.

The three deactivated their repulsor coils and sprinted down the debris-strewn hall to the room in which they sense their comrades. Twice soldiers tried to intercept them, only to be cut down without giving the Force-users any pause.

Finally they came to the door behind which they felt their comrades and they burst in, weapons drawn.

Tess Harding and Michael Guerin both lay on gurneys, terribly burned and unconscious. Siana Delun sat in a chair, completely bound by thick silver tape. Her head hung limply, her face and the left side of her head had been burned as well. Though she did not move, Ostrael could see a gleam from her eyes and knew she was aware of them. He could not feel her Force signature, though, except for a slight pulse that she was alive.

A fourth man sat in the room a few meters from Siana. Beside him was a large drum, perhaps two meters high and another meter wide. It was roughly cylindrical, and pure black. A small panel on the side of the huge device blinked; in the center of the man's chest an identical panel also blinked.

Ostrael watched the light, and realized it was a heart monitor.

"Welcome," the man said. "My name is Colonel Phillip Green." He nodded to Max and Isabel, but stared at Ostrael. "I recognize the rest of the Antaran whelps. I don't know you."

"It's not necessary for you to," Ostrael said. "It's not too late to surrender. We promise you will not be harmed while in our custody."

"No, I'll be harmed when I'm turned over to General Chekov. The Commonwealth still retains the death penalty for genocide." He hitched a thumb at the device. "I received a last gift from my Antaran friends. I don't know the Antaran word, but I'm told the closest translation would be 'Peace Bringer'."

Ostrael deactivated his saber; behind him Max and Isabel did the same. "What do you want, Green?"

Green chuckled without mirth. "It's not what I want, it's what I wanted. I wanted an Earth for Earthers. I wanted a planet for pure humans to use as a base to sweep out across the galaxy, bringing civilization. That's what I wanted. What I want now is nothing. I want nothing. And I'm going to get it."

"Let me guess," Max said. "We kill you, it goes off."

"It's going off no matter what," Green said. "If you kill me, it goes off immediately. If you don't, it goes off when I choose. And when it goes, there will be no one left to compare it to Doomsday. From what I understand, there may not even be a planet left. But don't worry, even if you somehow kill me and stop it, it won't matter. The Jedi, at least, will be dead. You and all your brats."

Green abruptly stood, his face flushing red as he lost all attempts at restraint. "You're going to die. And when you do, I hope you burn in hell!"

He brought his arm up to hit the control pad. Ostrael's blade erupted in silver energy and flashed across the three meters separating them to take Green's arm off just below the shoulder. The blade instantly cauterized the wound. This happened in the space of the second it took Green to lift his arm to the pad.

Recognizing what was happening, Max lit and threw his saber as well, removing Green's left arm just above the elbow. The stunned colonel collapsed to his knees as the blood fled from his face.

He screamed as the three Jedi ran at him, recognizing that he had nothing left to end his life and the world that had betrayed him.

As quickly as that, Colonel Green's war to conquer the Earth was over.


	48. The Dam Breaks

**Magali**--He was indeed, which made his "disarming" all the more appropriate.

**tojju**--Thank you. While I won't rule out the possibility that this AU could lead to the Systems Commonwealth, if I remember correctly that show took place so far into the future that it will likely not be something we see in my story. Still, it's possible.

**Snowfur**--Yeah, that didn't turn out the way he wanted. Hehe.

**Manus Dei**--All the power to destroy his enemies, and he didn't have a hand left to activate it. That is its own special type of hell.

Thank you all for reading and your reviews. I greatly appreciate it.

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**Chapter Forty-Eight: The Dam Breaks**

_UECS _Daedalus_, Lucian Alliance Territories, Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 CE), 12:48 a.m. Universal Time_

"That's not good," Kyle whispered when the _Daedalus_ emerged from hyperspace within visual range of the Lucian Alliance stronghold.

The planet was ringed by three dozen ha'taks and a fleet of al'kesh bombers, all of which were firing continuously at a blue circle on the planet surface visible even to the naked eye. "Is it just me," O'Neill said aloud, "or is that thing getting bigger?"

"It is increasing in diameter," Captain Shintre confirmed. "And it continues to expand more rapidly with each shot. The field is already encompassing an area of approximately twenty thousand square kilometers and is expanding exponentially."

"There goes the bum-lift approach," O'Neill muttered. "Open a broad-band signal to those ships."

Shintre nodded. "Ships of the Lucian Alliance, this is Admiral Jack O'Neill of the United Earth Commonwealth Ship _Daedalus_. You are firing on an Ori Prior. Your weapons fire is providing them the power they need to create a beachhead into this galaxy. If you do not stop firing, you will be breaking off a lot more than you can chew!"

In response to the broadcast, two of the ha'taks broke off and began flying toward the _Daedalus_, their staff cannons firing.

"Not a friendly bunch, are they?" Kyle noted.

"Not smart either, from what Teal'c has told us." He turned to the captain. "Han, take whatever steps are necessary to defend the ship. We've already signaled the _Tantalus_ and _Icarus_?"

"They are en route and should be here within the hour," Shintre said with a curt nod. "Bring up point defense guns, power up the primary weapon," the captain said to his crew. To Kyle, he added, "I'm assuming we wish to disable rather than kill?"

Kyle turned and smiled at the former Imperial captain. "You're learning!"

"That means yes," O'Neill said. "Fire at twenty percent to get their attention."

From the center of the _Daedalus_'s central hull, the superlaser began to charge. Taken from the _Dragon's Claw_, the gun was more powerful than any single weapon the humans had developed on their own.

It fired at a fifth its normal power. The ha'tak that took the blow stopped immediately, as if it struck a brick wall. The former Gao'uld vessel lost all shielding, and they could see small billows of flame indicating it had lost its engines as well.

The other ship slowed.

"Open up the channel again," O'Neill said.

Shintre nodded.

"Ships of the Lucian Alliance, this is the UECS _Daedalus_ again. We are not here to engage you in battle. We are attempting to prevent a mass Ori incursion into this galaxy. We have contacted the Free Jaffa and have allied ha'taks in route, as well as two more Earth vessels. We will take any and all actions necessary to stop the Ori from entering this galaxy. If that means we have to take you out to keep you from firing, we will. I hope it doesn't come to that."

The ships continued to fire. "We are receiving a signal," the communications officer announced. "Video and audio."

"Patch it through," Shintre ordered.

The monitors across the ship flickered and showed a pale face with milky eyes. The face smiled with calm determination. "The Lucian Alliance has found the path of Origin. The Ori welcome them with love. All who do not follow the path of Origin must be destroyed."

The communication ended. O'Neill and Katarn shared a long look. "Captain Shintre," O'Neill said.

"Sir?"

"Charge the main weapon at fifty percent. That should be enough to destroy a ha'tak. Signal all incoming ships that the Lucian Alliance has fallen to the Ori and they are under orders to attack immediately." He nodded. "Launch all fighters. Take us in, guns a'blazing."

"Yes, sir."

Of the three dozen or so ha'taks firing on the planet surface, ten pulled away to engage the _Daedalus_. From their bowels came wave after wave of death gliders. The twenty-four Earth fighters launched from the hangar nacelles of the command carrier flew toward almost a hundred enemy fighters.

The main weapon fired. Even at only half-power, the superlaser sliced through a Lucian ha'tak, destroying the vessel instantly. However, nine more descended upon the _Daedalus_, firing non-stop as the sleek Earth ship speared through their midst.

"Target four has lost shielding," tactical called.

"Launch a Mark V," Shintre ordered.

"Death Gliders approaching aft."

"Engage railguns and turbolasers. Establish a defense perimeter."

"We're taking heavy fire from above, sir."

"Ignore it, the shields will hold for now. The ships firing on the surface are our primary targets."

O'Neill and Katarn watched the calm, collected manner in which Shintre received new information and responded with new orders. His manner rubbed off on his crew, many of whom were still newly commissioned or promoted officers. People looked occasionally at the captain, as if to gauge whether to be worried. When they spotted no sign of worry on his face, they seemed to visible relax.

They broke through the line of ha'taks that attacked and flew toward those firing on the surface. The main weapon fired, and another ha'tak billowed in flame. "Shields down to 70," engineering called.

Shintre nodded. "Understood. Continue at flank speed. Target the next vessel and fire when ready."

Forty seconds later, as the _Daedalus_ closed in on the enemy ranks, the main gun fired again, and another ha'tak died. The pilot spun the Earth ship around and flew it directly between lines of enemy ships, taking fire all the time.

"Blow through and then execute a power turn aft and repeat the attack. Begin recharging the gun. Fire at 40 power this time. That should give us a few seconds more response time."

By this time, eleven ha'tak vessels followed in close pursuit of the _Daedalus_, firing constantly. The Earth ship refused to slow or back away from the fight, however. Powerful thrusters fired from the base of the ship while the vectored main thrusters turned the force of the propulsion at an angle that brought the command carrier around in a long, graceful arc. In moments, with the enemy ha'taks on their heels, the carrier came back around and fired again at the enemy. Thirty-seven seconds later, it fired again.

The superlaser took a fraction of a second longer to penetrate the shields of the ha'taks, but the end result was still a billowing plume of flame from each ship.

Suddenly they were not alone. A superlaser blast ripped apart a ha'tak they had already flown past, followed by a second. Both the _Icarus_ and _Tantalus_ had arrived.

"Here comes the cavalry!" O'Neill said. "Han, patch me through!"

Shintre nodded.

"Earth ships, this is O'Neill. Take out the ships firing on the surface at all costs!"

Acknowledgments came in from the other captains, and seconds later two more superlaser blasts streaked past to kill more ha'taks.

"Sir, the enemy vessels have broken off pursuit of us and are engaging the other Earth ships," tactical said.

"Order all stop," Shintre ordered. "Swing us around." The _Daedalus's_ impulse systems slowed the ship almost to a halt. Then, swinging around on its central axis, the entire ship spun around to face the enemy. With the planetary horizon suddenly up instead of down, it appeared everything was upside down.

"Selective targeting, twenty percent," Shintre ordered. "Follow every shot with a Mark V."

While the _Icarus_ and _Tantalus_ played havoc with the Lucian Alliance ships, the _Daedalus_ began picking them off from the periphery, one ship at a time. Every time one of the enemy attempted to attack, it was destroyed by a low-powered superlaser blast and a naquedah-enhanced nuclear missile.

By the time the Free Jaffa ships arrived, the three Earth ships had all but destroyed the thirty-six ha'taks of the Lucian Alliance, a fact not lost on the Jaffa at all.

Of course, there was the one ha'tak that had flown around but never fired. Now that they were busy cleaning up the al'kesh bombers, Kyle concentrated on the remaining ha'tak. He felt a flicker of warning in the Force. "All ships, this is Katarn," he said, activating the inter-ship communication through the Force. "Destroy the last ha'tak. Take it out now!"

As if the ha'tak had also received the communication, it dove away from the Earth ships toward the surface of the planet. The _Tantalus_ fired, but the ha'tak anticipated the attack and banked away from the blast, which continued down through the atmosphere of the planet to impact the blue forcefield.

The blue field. Now that he looked at it again, Kyle felt his heart flutter. The field occupied almost a third of the entire planet. The ha'tak was flying straight toward it, all guns firing.

"It's going to ram the field," Katarn said.

"What?" O'Neill stared unblinkingly.

"A Prior is on that ship," the Jedi said. "And it's going to ram the field." He sighed. "Jack, pull our ships back from the planet. A hundred thousand klicks at least. Do it now."

O'Neill relayed the order to Shintre, and the ships began pulling away from the planet as the Ori-controlled ha'tak fell through the sky, held intact by its own powerful shields. It continued firing as it descended; flame from the friction of its passage billowed out to either side.

On the surface, in a bubble of gases deadly to all but the priors, a lone prior walked to the stargate and placed his hand on it. He opened his leather-clad Book of Origin and began reading it aloud. "Hallowed are the Ori," he said.

The ha'tak struck the upper dome of the field traveling at a third the speed of light. At the precise moment of impact, the reactor of the ship was forced into an overload. Between the sheer kinetic energy of the impact and the explosive force of the exploding power reactor, an explosion of several hundred megatons struck the field.

"The field is increasing rapidly," Shintre reported. "It appears to have reached a critical mass and is continuing to accelerate as it envelopes the planet. Coverage should be complete in ten, nine, eight…"

Kyle didn't need the countdown. He could feel the world dying under the impenetrable field.

"New contacts!" tactical shouted. "I'm reading vessels leaving the surface. Eighty of them, approximately ten meters in length."

"The super gate components," Kyle explained darkly. "They came through the gate."

"Sir!" sciences said. She stood up, staring out the bridge viewports. "The world is collapsing."

The supergate components flew through the shield and into low orbit with incredible speed, surpassing even the best the Empire could have produced. They quickly began linking to each other in a massive ring as below them, the former homeworld of the Lucian Alliance began shrinking under the terrible compressive power of the Ori field.

"Alright, looks like the worst gravity waves of the compression are over. We need to get closer, pick a component ship and hit it with everything we have," Kyle said. "And we need to do it now."

Shintre relayed the order, and then sent the request for the Jaffa ships to do the same. "We've picked a component and are painting it with a marking laser for the Jaffa," Shintre said.

"All ships are to fire at full power," O'Neill said. "Request the Jaffa to deploy their death gliders and have the gliders fire at will. Our own fighters are to do the same."

The three Earth captains quickly coordinated their fire. The _Daedalus_ fired first, with the _Tantalus_ firing a few seconds later, and then the _Icarus_. All the while their turbolasers fired continuously, one after the other, at the painted target. The Jaffa ha'taks also opened fire, unleashing the full force of their staff cannons at the target. Death gliders flew to within a few meters of the Earth F-405 Raptor fighters and the two forces fired in unison.

"I can't believe that thing isn't dead yet," O'Neill said.

"Believe it. Ori ships withstood a blast from the Imperial Death Star that could shatter an entire planet. They are as tough as they come."

"The planetary collapse is nearly complete," sciences said. "I'm reading an increase in the gravitational lensing of local space." She looked to Shintre. "Sir, I think the planet's forming a singularity."

"Understood," Shintre said. "Continue firing at will."

"I'm reading a massive spike in power from the point of planetary collapse," sciences continued. "The energy reading is off our charts, and it's being directed at the gate."

"Continue firing."

"Captain," Katarn said. "Send a general signal in all directions requesting immediate Asgard assistance."

"Yes, Master Katarn," Shintre said with a nod.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" O'Neill said.

"No."

The supergate shimmered. Suddenly it exploded outward with a wave of foaming blue light like a wave of self-illuminated water. The wormhole had formed.

"Sirs, the component appears to be buckling," tactical announced. "I think it's starting to go!"

"Continue firing!" Shintre said.

Something emerged from the gate. It was huge, larger than the _Daedalus_, with a broad, rounded front and a single massive blue circle in its center.

From the front of the bridge, Kyle swore. "Sithspit."

The ship fired a single bolt of white energy that reached out with deceptive slowness toward the UECS _Tantalus_. The beam struck the Asgard shields but did not penetrate.

"_Tantalus_ reports shields down to sixty percent," Shintre said.

The Ori vessel fired at a Jaffa ha'tak, which incinerated under the blast.

"Continue firing," Kyle said.

"The component has begun to crack and appears to be failing."

Another Ori ship exited. The first had fired on the _Tantalus_. The second fired on the same target. The second blast ripped through the weakenedAsgard shields, and the UECS _Tantalus_, christened six months prior, exploded in a spectacular plume of fire.

"It's going!" tactical said.

The targeted component suddenly exploded. The whole gate shimmered and suddenly began spinning.

"All ships retreat!" Kyle ordered. "Get away from the gate now!"

The Earth and Jaffa ships flew back from the rapidly spinning gate as fast as they could. The two Ori ships merely floated a few thousand meters in front of it, as if indifferent.

Suddenly the gate exploded with sufficient force to devastate a planet. Two Jaffa ships that did not get far enough away exploded. When the radiation of the unstable wormhole passed, the two Ori ships remained in their exact same positions, untouched.

Only after surviving the blast from the supergate did the two ships turn and flash away into hyperspace.

"They made their point," O'Neill muttered.

"They got through," Katarn said. "May the Force help us all."


	49. Homemaker

**Snowfur--**Yep, that about sums it up!

**Darth Tic Tac**--Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

* * *

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Homemaker**

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 CE), 2:12 a.m. MST_

Liz Evans heard voices coming from the kitchen. She reached out with the Force and felt the familiar presences of her and Max's parents.

She rolled over, looked at the clock, and shook her head. It took six months to get Claudia sleeping through the night, and a full year for little Kyle. After that much time without sleep, she resented any intrusion into her nights.

Still, she sensed her presence was needed.

She climbed out of bed, pulled on a red satin robe Max had gotten her for her last birthday and stepped out of the bedroom. She reached out with her mind and felt the gentle dreams of Claudia. She was dreaming about ice cream. Lots of ice cream.

Kyle was dreaming about flying over a mountain of…ice cream. Liz shook her head and smiled—they had each eaten a bowl of the frozen treat after dinner.

Zan, of course, dreamed of video games. He was currently fighting a giant gorilla while trying to save a scantily clad Japanamation princess with ridiculously large eyes and blonde hair.

She stepped into the kitchen and the four adults looked up in surprise. "I heard voices," she said with a smile. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

Phillip and Diane Evans appeared to be exactly what they were—a moderately successful couple sliding past middle age as gracefully as possible. Phillip was an attorney still in Roswell, while Diane was a homemaker.

Liz's own parents were younger. Her father Jeff still ran the Crashdown Café, which had become famous for hosting real aliens. Her mother Nancy helped at the restaurant while working as a florist as well.

She stepped past them, drawn by the smell of the coffee, and poured herself a cup before taking one of the stools at the L-shaped bar beside her mother. She rested a hand on the woman's back. "So, what has everyone up at 2 a.m.?"

"Just remembering things," Phillip said.

"And talking about how much has changed," Diane added.

Nancy Parker smiled wryly. "Would you believe we're still not even sure what you and Max and the rest of you do?"

Liz savored the coffee—someone had mixed in the French vanilla. "Well, right now I'm raising children while getting my doctorate in chemistry. But on occasion I hunt down terrorists or insurgents, or locate and neutralize hostile alien activity on the planet."

"You say that so calmly," Jeff said.

"The novelty wears off after a while, I guess," Liz said with a smile. "We've told you about what it means to be Jedi."

"Yes, we know," Phillip said. "Guardians of peace. It sounds like something out of a movie."

"That's exactly what we were talking about," Diane said. "It's like that movie you and Max liked so much when you were kids. Stellar Wars or, Phillip, what was it?"

"Cosmic Wars," Liz said, nodding. "I remember. And believe it or not, when Max and I and the rest of us toured the ship on the moon, it was a lot like that. There was this ship that could travel across a galaxy, sitting on our moon being studied. They've turned it into a base and a shipyard. They have a transport system from the Asgard and they just beam the materials up there where they build the ship. The ship yards are large enough now to build three or four ships at a time."

"Amazing," Jeff said. He studied his only child for the longest time as he sipped his coffee. "Are you happy, Liz? I mean, really happy?"

She reached out and took his hand, and then her mother's, while looking at all four. "I know these past four years have been hard for you, especially not getting to see your grandkids that often. But I could not imagine being anywhere else than by Max's side, and I couldn't imagine this house without our kids. I am complete here. I am happy, and so is Max. His being alien doesn't matter here—there are almost two hundred non-humans in the Imperial ranks that are now U.S. citizens. We're pretty mundane. And with Siana and Master Katarn, we're so much more now than we could ever have imagined. So, yes, Dad, I am really happy."

"What is everyone doing up so late?" a new voice asked.

The five of them watched as Dana Scully Mulder stepped out of the third guest suite of the spacious house, wearing a brown robe over silk pajamas. Her red hair was mussed and she was yawning even as she spoke.

"Just talking," Phillip said.

Dana nodded without hearing and also floated toward the coffee. "French vanilla," she whispered as she poured herself a cup. She turned and stared at them from over the counter. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay," Liz said. "As long as the kids stay asleep, it doesn't matter."

"So," Jeff Parker said, "your son William is like Max too?"

"More like Liz," Dana said. "He is a human who was altered by the Antarans, rather than a half-human, half-Antaran hybrid."

"Is he going to be a Jedi too?"

"We hope so," Liz said with a gentle smile.

Dana shrugged. "I'm still adjusting to the idea. Fox loves it. He keeps saying how it's just like something out of that silly space movie."

"_Cosmic Wars_," the others said helpfully.

"Yeah."

Liz sipped her coffee, basking in the warm glow of loved ones and friends. Everything felt…wrong. She put the cup down and stood, looking toward the door.

"Honey, what is it?" Nancy asked.

Liz held up a finger for silence and stepped further toward the living room. "Dana," she said softly, "do you have your weapon?"

The adults straightened. Dana put her cup down. "I do."

"Get it," Liz said urgently. "Mom, Dad, you four need to get the kids and get into the basement right now."

"What's going on?" Nancy demanded.

Without answering, Liz held her hand out toward the fireplace mantle. Hanging high on the wall was what appeared to be a slim silver candle set in the middle of an elaborate candelabra. However, the candle itself flew from its resting place into Liz's hand, where it erupted into a meter-long blade of blue energy.

"Dana!" Liz hissed.

Dana ran toward her room and emerged a second later with a modified Smith and Wesson zat'ni'katel.in her right hand that lacked a barrel, but instead had a T-shaped slit at the end. In her left she carried a mewling William, who protested being woken.

"They're coming in the bedrooms!" Liz said. "Okay, we're too late to make it to the basement. Everyone behind the bar!" She darted into the darkened hallway. A moment later the grandparents heard the sound of shattering glass and children's screams, all the while with the zinging-hum of a lightsaber in motion.

Moments later Liz emerged with her blade deactivated and Claudia and Kyle in each arm with Zan hanging onto her robe. She deposited her children into their grandparents' waiting arms. "Watch them," she said. "Just keep them down. Dana?"

"How many?" the FBCI agent asked.

"About a dozen. Supersoldiers with teleguns. I've already activated the silent alarm, but all the Jedi are on assignment in South America."

"Could Roberta beam us out?"

"They use the system for heavy transport at night," Liz explained.

The front door and window exploded, sending a rain of shrapnel into the house. Liz gathered the Force and formed a field to scatter the shards of wood and glass away from herself and the bar. From the holes, two blasts of a telegun came at her.

She deflected both with her lightsaber, managing to send one back at the attacker. She stifled the momentary surge of pride at finally having accomplished that feat and concentrated on the rest of her attackers. There were so many.

Over the bar, Dana lifted her home-grown zat gun and fired. The good people at Smith and Wesson, realizing the stupidity of having to fire multiple times to get a kill, had simply installed a power setting on the weapon and concentrated the naquedah-induced power through an artificial diamond which one of the engineers in the company called a "phasing crystal." Although most people still called them Zat guns, the official description was a Phased Energy Rectification weapon, or a Phaser. Its multiple power settings gave it an advantage in civilian use over blasters.

Now, of course, Dana had her Zat dialed up to full power and fired at one of the intruders breaking though the window. The center of the man's chest exploded and he flew back out the window, but she knew he would be back. The Terran-made Zats still were not capable of full disintegration like Robert**a **Lincoln's or Rain Robinson's servos or the Goa'uld-made originals, but they were certainly lethal enough.

Still, it bought Liz time.

A beam of energy emerged from the hall. From behind the bar, Diane Evans cried out in warning, but Liz caught the beam on her lightsaber. She then seemed to disappear in a blink of an eye. They heard more screams and the sound of something burning, and a moment later Liz was back, deflecting beams from their attackers.

Finally realizing their only hope was to overpower the targets, the hybrid supersoldiers rushed in at Liz as a whole.

Liz planted her feet, dug deep into her well of power and the Force around her, and screamed with a stomp.

To those trained in Earth martial arts, it was a familiar cry tapping into what the Japanese called _ki_. But to the Jedi, it was more than that. It was a way of focusing the Force for battle. To a human altered by Antaran energy AND trained in the ways of the Force, it was lethal.

The wave of ten supersoldiers stopped as if struck by a moving wall. Some fell backwards, others merely stood blinking. With this momentary break, Liz rushed forward with Force-speed, her lightsaber flashing. Even as she began cutting the enemy down, she Force-pushed attackers against the far wall to allow her to concentrate on a smaller group of targets.

Behind the bar, Liz's and Max's parents watched in shock as little Liz Evans cut through a small army. Dana held her Zat at the ready, but did not fire for fear of hitting or even distracting Liz.

"Oh my God," Dana heard Nancy Parker whisper.

In less than a minute, the battle was over and more than a dozen alien creatures dissolved into puddles of black oil in their suits, just as flashing lights and sirens approached the house.

Liz deactivated her lightsaber and turned to see her whole family, both by birth and marriage, staring at her. "Now you know what it means to be Jedi," she said with a deep, calming breath.

A second later, Daniel Jackson, John Shepherd and a handful of CRP security guards rushed in through the shattered doorway. Daniel was wide-eyed. "I felt something happening. Are you okay?"

Liz shrugged and tightened her robe, which had loosened in the fight. "Just a few Antaran supersoldiers. Nothing to be concerned about."

Behind Jackson, Shepherd surveyed the damage and the suits of clothes covered in the black goo of the dead Antaran hybrids, and whispered. "Lady, forget everything I said about you being too short. You really kick…"

Seattle Grace Hospital

Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 AD Commonwealth Calendar)

3:15 a.m. PST

Izzie Stevens hated the night shift. She hated that feeling of dizziness that came with exhaustion. But more than that, she hated weirdoes who always came out at night.

That wasn't what was bothering Izzie, though, and she knew it.

The pen she had clipped into the breast pocket of her scrubs was not a pen at all. It was the odd device her doppelganger had given her five days ago. Five long, sleepless nights spent staring at the ceiling wondering who and what she was. It made the problem of Denny's money a joke. So much so, that she had cashed the check. She placed every penny in a money market account since she frankly had no idea how to invest it yet. Even so, she was earning over $30,000 a month in interest.

It didn't matter, though.

"Hey, you okay?" George asked.

She looked up and smiled at her fellow intern and roommate. George O'Malley was not only a good friend—in many ways he was like a brother. Or a sister, she admitted with a smile. He was still upset about her and Meredith asking him to pick up their tampons.

"It's been a long week," she said.

He sat down next to her in the lounge. He had a can of soda in his hand and rings around his eyes, just like her. Both had been on duty for eight hours already.

"So, I heard about what happened on Friday. Some weird guy was threatening you or something?"

The fact that it took George five days to ask proved that Meredith had kept her word and not said a word about what happened that day. Everyone knew something extraordinary happened, but no one knew for sure except Izzie and Meredith.

"It's a long story," Izzie said. Impulsively, she reached out and grabbed George's hand. "You're a good friend, George. I'm glad to have known you."

"You sound like you're going somewhere."

"That's what I'm trying to decide." She stood and paced around the lounge. "I'm trying to decide where I belong. If this is where I should be."

"You're thinking about dropping out of the program again? They barely let you back in the last time."

"It's different this time," Izzie said. "There's something else out there I could be doing." She hugged herself. "I found out I have a brother, George. And a sister, sort of. Like a twin, almost."

"Wow, I bet that was exciting!"

"There's more to it." She sat down and looked at George for the longest time. Then she shrugged. Unlike Max and Isabel, she had not lived with the threat of discovery hanging over her. So, what she said next was not as shocking as if Isabel Evans had said it. "George, I found out I'm an alien. From another planet."

George stared at her for a long time, then suddenly grinned and then started laughing. "That's great!" he said. "Do you already have a costume for Halloween?"

With a sigh of frustration Izzie slapped her hand against the door of her locker. When she removed it, a perfect outline of her hand had burned through the metal. George continued laughing for a moment as he stared at the hand print and Izzie's serious face, but gradually the laughter faded, and he swallowed. "How did you do that?"

"I have no idea. I couldn't do it a week ago. But since my supposed alien brother showed up, things have been happening. You were dreaming of Callie and Meredith last night. You know how I know? Because I was in your dream. It was…" She made a face between humor and sickness. "Anyway, this morning I made my coffee boil with my hand. I thought the coffee was too cold and it started boiling."

George stood up, the blood rushing from his cheeks. "You're serious, you think you're…"

"Max said we were related to one of the fleets that attacked on Doomsday. I guess we're good guys—he's a Commonwealth Agent and my brother. But yeah, I'm an alien. And they want me to join them and be a Commonwealth agent too."

George stammered. "Wow. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

From the hallway, they heard a voice shouting: "We need a doctor down here!"

The two interns shared a look and ran out into the hall where Bailey was already running toward two police officers, two paramedics and a gurney. "What do we have?"

"Multiple burn wounds, never seen the like before," a paramedic said. "Heart rate is off the charts and he's running a hundred and fourteen degree fever."

Bailey stopped as if slapped. "What?"

"Look, we're not joking. Touch the kid's forehead."

Bailey touched the patient's forehead and then jerked her hand back. "My God." Then she looked again just as Izzie arrived. "Stevens, is that…"

"That's Max Evans," Izzie said. "The one who visited last Friday."

"Nah," one of the police officers said. "This guy's name is Zane Peters. He's a local attorney and was running for city council. A couple of nut jobs in suits barged into his campaign headquarters and started shooting rayguns."

Izzie looked back down at the man who looked just like Max Evans. She leaned down and put her hands on either side of the man's hot, sweating face. "Zane, are you there?"

Zane opened his eyes, and they were silver. "I know you from somewhere," he whispered weakly.

Isabel Evans looked just like her. Maybe this Zane was a duplicate of Max Evans. It not only was possible, it was the only explanation she could think of.

Suddenly the main doors of the emergency room opened and three men in suits and ties stepped in. Each man wore dark sunglasses despite the late hour and carried a gleaming silver object in their hands.

"Holy crap, those are the shooters!" one of the cops said. Both officers dropped to one knee with their weapons drawn and began firing. The three men in suits ignored the bullets and continued walking.

"Izzie, what's happening?" Bailey demanded.

Izzie grabbed the silver pen-like device and started pressing the cap. She continued to press it, again and again as the three seemingly unstoppable killers approached.


	50. By The Force

**Reader #624**--Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying it. While I don't want to completely blow the upcoming plot for Part IV, there is a chapter titled "The Battle of Vulcan" if that helps answer some of your questions. ;)

**Snowfur**--Two posts a week isn't fast enough?!? Hehe. Here's some more for you. Sorry to keep you waiting!

**Darth Tic Tac**--There are two primary theories for the lack of reviews. 1) A lot of readers came into this expecting it to be a direct continuation of Gods of Dark and Light. When they saw it was not, they grew frustrated and left before reading enough to realize it was a good story in and of itself; 2) It really isn't a good story in and of itself.

Unfortunately I'm biased--I honestly think it is a more intricate and well crafted story that GOD&L, but the reviews don't support my opinion. Either way, good or bad, it's done and I'll keep posting it for the enjoyment of those who do wish to read. And those who do review are especially welcome!

Thanks for reading and your reviews!!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty: By The Force**

_Tacan, Peru, UEC Defense Force Mobile Hospital, Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 CE), 2:18 a.m. Local Time_

Max Evans lowered his hand and smiled as a blue sheen appeared where before there was only burned flesh on Siana's head. "We'll have you back and pretty as ever," he said.

"Thank you," she said. She took his hand. "The code of the Jedi frowns on pride. And yet I am so proud of you. You and Isabel both. Thank you for saving us."

"I wish I could take all the credit," Max said as he glanced up at the shadow hovering outside her door. "But I had a lot of help."

Siana turned and studied the figure for the longest time. "Come in, Delvin. Please."

Ostrael stepped into the room and took a folding seat beside the ailing Jedi's bed. The walls were made up of canvas, but nonetheless the UEC forces kept the hospital warm. "Are you well?"

"Max is a remarkable healer," she said. "Even before he had the Force, he could heal."

"And Michael and Tess need that healing," Max said. "If you will excuse me?"

When he was gone, the two sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Siana said, "I knew you were an Imperial Knight. When you were watching me, I realized."

"Did you? Why not tell the others?"

"Because I saw what you did on the bridge of the _Dragon's Claw_. I watched as you helped your people adjust to this world. I sensed no darkness in you. I believe you are a good man."

Ostrael smiled dryly. "A good man who fought on the opposite side of your master in our last war."

"Many good people fought for the Empire," Siana said. "The Empire was not our enemy—only the Sith."

"And now?"

She closed her eyes. "You saved my life."

"Yes."

When she opened them again, he was sitting just a little closer, staring intently at her. "Delvin, do you really think I am beautiful?"

He took a deep, shuddering breath. "Oh yes. More than I can say."

Suddenly Max rushed in. "I know what Green was talking about! Hybrids attacked Liz in Ruby Valley!"

Ostrael stood and Siana pushed herself up on her bed. "Is she all right?"

"She fought off over a dozen by herself. But just a few minutes later we started getting a signal from the other Volandra clone in Seattle. Dr. Stevens. I sense she's in danger as well."

"Then go," Siana said without hesitation. "Delvin, we'll talk again."

"We will," he promised. "Lead the way, Max."

* * *

_Seattle Grace Hospital, Sunday, September 3, 2006 (4 AD Commonwealth Calendar), 3:30 a.m. PST_

The police could do nothing. Four more officers had joined the fight and were unloading clip after clip into the three attackers, to no avail. As they drew closer, one of the three raised his silver weapon and fired at one of the police officers. The man screamed as white light burned through his chest. Two more officers quickly followed.

"Let's get out of here!" Bailey shouted. She grabbed the stretcher and ran back away from their attackers with Izzie, George and the two paramedics surrounding the stretcher.

The whole group of them came to a skidding halt when five more men in suits and sunglasses turned a corner into the hallway in front of them. All five carried the odd silver guns.

"Oh my God," Izzie whispered.

Suddenly odd, fluorescent blue smoke filled the hall between them and the five men, while behind them another police officer fell with a dull thud to the floor. When the odd smoke faded, three figures stood where no one had stood a moment before. Drs. Bailey and O'Malley both gasped and stared first at Izzie, then at the woman a few feet away who had Izzie's same exact face and figure. The man beside this new Izzie looked exactly like the unconscious man on the stretcher, while the third man appeared a decade older with short-cropped brown hair and a strong line to his chin. All three were dressed in an odd, glimmering black armor, and all three carried glowing laser swords—one silver, two blue.

"I'll take the three behind!" Ostrael said. He spun and, eliciting a squeal of shock from Bailey and one of the paramedics, leapt clear over the whole group to land in a perfectly executed roll. He lifted his hand and pulled back at the air, yet somehow the sole surviving officer flew back into his arms is if yanked by a giant string.

"We're here to help," Ostrael told the officer in heavily accented English. "Stay with the civilians!"

The initial three attackers continued without pause, firing their weapons rapidly. Ostrael deflected each one back to their source, forcing the hybrids to slow their rate of fire as they took wounds from their own weapons. All the while, he continued to close the gap on them until they were within sword's reach.

On the other side, Max formed a field to deflect the enemy shots while Isabel concentrated her native abilities and distilled those powers through the Force. White lightning exploded from her fingers, throwing all five men from their feet. The two padawans took advantage of the distraction and rushed forward faster than the stunned civilians could follow, slashing with deadly accuracy at the attackers with their lightsabers.

When the two Jedi stepped back and watched the severed bodies dissolve back into black oil, leaving only the stained suits, they turned to see Ostrael walking back to join them as well. That's when Max saw himself on the gurney. With a stunned look at his sister, and then his other sister, he stepped to the man's side.

To Izzie, he said, "Did you know he was alive?"

Izzie shook her head, her face flushed and her eyes moist. "This is the first time I've ever seen him. They said his name was Zane Peters. He was attacked by those…things."

Max put his hand over Zane's chest, and then let it drift down to the burn hole in the other man's side. As the doctors, paramedics and lone officer watched, Max's hand took on a bright white glow, and a moment later the wound was gone.

Zane Peters blinked, took a deep breath, and then shot upright. "What's happening!" he demanded.

Max put a hand on his clone's shoulders and smiled. "It's okay, Zane. You're safe, and among family."

Zane looked at the young man with his face, then at the two women on either side that looked like mirror images of each other. "I don't understand. I was attacked…"

"I'll explain everything," Max promised. He turned to Izzie. "Doctor Stevens, our offer is still open. Your daughter has already agreed to join us, and will be traveling to our headquarters this coming weekend."

"Daughter?" Bailey demanded.

"Headquarters?" George asked.

"Will someone tell me what is going on here?" Zane pleaded.

Ignoring everyone, Izzie nodded. "But there's someone I have to say goodbye to first."

Isabel nodded. "We understand. Max, you and Delvin head back with Zane there. I'll stay with her."

"Head back to where?" Zane demanded.

"To a land of heroes and spaceships the size of cities," Delvin Ostrael said lightly as he stepped beside the man. "For instance, did you know I was born on a planet twenty-eight galaxies away from here?"

Transport plasma enveloped all three men and the gurney as well, and when it cleared they were gone.

Dr. Miranda Bailey put a hand on George O'Malley's shoulder and took a step forward until she stood looking up at Izzie. "Izzie, what's happening here?"

Izzie wrapped the shorter woman in a tight hug. "I'm an alien, from another planet," she said, smiling brilliantly through a thin sheen of tears in her eyes. "I just found out, and for some reason, I just can't stop from saying that. An alien from another planet. And tonight, I finally realized where I belong. I'm going home. And I'm going to see a daughter I gave up twelve years ago. But before I go, there's something I want you to have."

She reached into her pocket and removed a large, rumpled cashier's check. She put it in Bailey's hand. "I want you to have this, and do something good with it. The Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic. If anyone can do it, it's you."

Miranda looked down at a check made out to the Denny Duquette Memorial Trust for 8.7 million dollars. "Izzie Stevens," she whispered.

"The bank has the trust documents. I signed them today before I came in. I guess I knew today was going to be the day. You and Dr. Grey are trustees. Make it mean something."

She hugged Miranda one last time, and then hugged George. "Don't let Callie get away," she whispered to him. Finally, she stepped back and nodded. "Well, sis, one more stop I need to make."

Isabel felt close to tears herself as she watched herself step away from a life that could have been. "Okay, sis."

Meredith Grey was having a rather racy dream.

It involved a handsome Dr. Derek Shepherd on her right, and a certain ruggedly handsome veterinarian named Finn on the other, and a large pile of whipped cream with a cherry on top piled over her navel.

The dream broke in half as it always did and she sat up, alone, in her bed. She put her head on her knees before she heard the knock at her bedroom door that woke her in the first place.

"Yes?"

The door opened, and Izzie stepped in. "Izzie, this isn't a good…oh."

Isabel Evans stepped in right behind her. Seeing the two women standing side by side, so perfectly even in features, posture height, build, appearance, it was almost enough to make her dizzy.

"I've decided," Izzie said as she sat on the edge of Meredith's bed. "I'm going home."

Meredith looked up at the other woman with Izzie's face and understood. "Are you sure this is what's right for you?"

"I am now," Izzie said. "I was going to give all the money to Miranda for that clinic she's been dreaming about no matter what, but then the hospital was attacked and…I'm sure." She smiled and shrugged as she wiped her nose. "I'm going to see Hannah. I'm going to get to see my daughter."

Meredith Grey had a wisdom beyond her years, and a mind to match. In that instance, seeing the awe, anticipation and fear in her friend's eyes, she knew beyond any doubt that Izzie Stevens was making the right choice.

"I love you, Izzie," Meredith said as she wrapped her friend in a long, tight hug. "Don't forget us."

"Never," Izzie promised. "Who knows, I might even come by some time."

She stood and stepped back to Isabel's side as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes. "Tell everyone how much I'll miss them, and how much I appreciated all the opportunities they gave me."

"I will," Meredith said.

A column of odd, glowing blue smoke rose up from the floor around them. When it cleared, Meredith Grey was once again alone in her room.


	51. Worth Fighting For

**Snowfur**--Daniel plays an increasingly important role as the story progresses. Shepherd pops up here and there.

**Darth Tic Tac**--You'll have to keep reading into Part IV. The Vulcans are pretty important, as are some other familiar ST races. Remember, though, this is 2006. No Spock. I try to keep everything within cannon as much as I can.

I hope you both continue to enjoy.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Fifty-One: Worth Fighting For**

_Copernicus Ship Yards, South of the Mare Imbrium, Moon, Tuesday, September 5, 2006 (4 CE), 8:23 p.m. Universal Time (1:23 p.m. MST)_

In early January of 2002, Jackson Roykirk launched his NOMAD probe into deep space. America's space program was declining as its fleet of shuttles continued to age. The International Space Station continued its mission of growth, but at a much slower rate than originally envisioned. China had launched several unmanned modules into space in an effort to become only the third nation to launch a man into space.

Of course, unbeknownst to most nations, the United States had already launched the X-301 Interceptor into space as early as 2000, but that was with the benefit of stolen Goa'uld technology. To the nations of Earth reaching for the stars on their own, 2002 seemed so far away from breaking beyond the bounds of the Earth.

Then the Jedi came, followed closely by the Imperial Star Destroyer _Dragon's Claw_, a fleet of Goa'uld ha'taks and a thousand Antaran colony ships.

Only four years later, despite the global economic chaos caused by the complete destruction of the Indian subcontinent at the hands of Darth Krayt and the _Dragon's Claw_, Earth had finally broken beyond the bounds of its atmosphere.

The Copernicus Shipyards were a perfect example of that.

Using the fleet of transport shuttles from the _Dragon's Claw_ and the mining and mineral processing capabilities built into the _Paelleon_-class star destroyer, plus the massive ring of debris that orbited the Earth from the destroyed fleets as a source of recyclable material, the entire 6,800 square kilometers of Crater Copernicus, just south of the Mare Imbrium on the moon, was converted to a shipyard unmatched in Earth's history. At the center of the shipyard rested the still living hulk of the _Dragon's Claw_, now completely enclosed in a dome.

However, the object that took up the center of the twelve-kilometer wide, one kilometer-high dome at the center of the shipyards would not have been recognizable to anyone except the Kuati engineers who built her. Whole sections of the massive ship had been stripped away to the bare girders of the hull, and sometimes even those were removed. Power systems, weapons emplacements, living areas—all were sacrificed in Earth's quest to understand technology that by any appropriate measure should have been thousands of years beyond them.

But any appropriate measure could not have anticipated several thousand accomplished Imperial engineers who were so happy to be alive following the ship's encounter with the Antaran fleet that they proved more than willing to help Earth engineers learn how things worked in a galaxy far, far away. In many cases, the best minds of Earth were forced to forget everything they knew and relearn their trade as complete beginners.

The sheer scope of Earth's accomplishments was astounding. The contract to build the USS _Ronald Reagan_ air craft carrier was awarded in December 1994. The keel was not laid until February of 1998, and the ship was not launched until March 2001. It was just over 330 meters in length.

In the four years following Doomsday, as the world scrambled to repair damage totaling almost 30 of the entire world's gross product while coping with the loss of a sixth of the world's population while also struggling to thin the debris cloud in orbit before more death rained down from the heavens, first the United Nations, and then the United Earth Commonwealth, commissioned, built and launched four hyper-space enabled command-carriers, the latter three of which had a length of over 993 meters and incorporated dedicated hypermatter reactors and superlaser cannons nearly as powerful as one of the component lasers of the Death Star itself while maintaining the more efficient, nequedah-fueld Goa'uld hyperdrive systems.

Moreover, as the _Daedalus_ and _Icarus_ re-entered lunar orbit for the first time in weeks, Kyle saw four more ships nearing completion in the yards. Every one of the ships was over a kilometer in length, bristling with even more turbolaser and laser cannons than the _Daedalus_, while retaining the central super laser.

"We're going to need those soon," Admiral O'Neill said.

Kyle nodded. "And more. I've already contacted Thor regarding Asgard assistance in building resonance torpedoes. The Empire never obtained the schematics for them and the Galactic Alliance felt there was no need to keep such a dangerous weapon around after the Ori were destroyed. But Thor assures me he has their scans of the torpedo he took during our first Ori war. The Asgard should be able to reproduce them en masse for us."

O'Neill nodded absently. "That's good."

Kyle followed the admiral's gaze, and understood his distraction.

Even from their orbit around the moon, they could see the blackened scar that was India. It stopped smoking only a year ago, although the impact points of the superlasers had all formed massive volcanoes that still occasionally belched out lava. Earthquakes also continued to rock southern Eurasia, but the frequency had diminished just in the past two years. "I'm authoring limited shore leave," O'Neil**l **said as he continued to stare at Earth. "I need to get to Commonwealth to advise the Security Council."

"You need to go to Ruby Valley first," Kyle pointed out.

O'Neill smiled without looking at his friend. "Yeah, that too." He looked at Kyle. "And you?"

"I sense much has happened while we were gone. I'm going to go see my Jedi."

* * *

On an early Monday morning in early September, a Cadillac Escalade hydrogen cell hybrid drove up to the gates of the Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project in Nevada.

Two Commonwealth marines stood at stiff attention, their red berets brilliant in the morning light. The row of juniper trees that ran in a line along the inside of the security fence threw playful shadows across the red security kiosk and the men who guarded the gate. In the backseat of the Escalade, Hannah Volper sat up to stare at them, and the brilliant glass tower that rose from the center of the city-sized complex.

"Are you okay, honey?" Hannah's adopted mother, Rachel, asked from the front seat.

Hannah nodded as she sucked her lower lip and curled a strand of her coppery hair with her left index finger. The SUV stopped and one of the marines leaned over as Jim Volper rolled down his window. "Jim Volper," he said.

He ended up having to show a picture ID and two other forms of identification, and even then they were not allowed to enter until the marine stepped to the security kiosk and double-checked the information.

Finally, though, the gate lifted and they drove into…another world.

It was the only way to describe it. "Oh my God!" Rachel Volper cried as they drove past three people, one of whom was distinctly blue with red eyes. She looked at her husband. "What is this place?"

Hannah knew, of course, and smiled at the thought she saw an alien before her classmate back in school, Bart Kriker. She didn't say anything, though.

Finally, they arrived at a small parking lot at the foot of the massive tower. It was easily as high as anything in Denver, and glistened in the morning light. She was out of the SUV before her parents. The air felt surprising cool, crisp and dry—but with a promise of much more heat to come.

Standing on the sidewalk a few dozen feet away, Hannah saw what could only be described as a welcoming committee, including several small children, the oldest of which appeared to be four or five. She looked on the two adult twins, though, who were watching her so closely. One seemed almost…hungry? Desperate? She didn't quite have the words for it.

As she stepped close, though, she rethought the idea they were twins. She had known two sets of twins and watched several television shows on twins, and there were always slight differences in facial features or build. These women were so identical they appeared to be the same person, like an actress being separated by a split screen to play her own evil twin in a bad soap opera.

Without knowing how, Hannah Volper knew without any question that the one on her right was her birth mother. It was an instinctive recognition. Without waiting for her adopted parents, whom she loved and cherished as well, Hannah Volper walked across the street directly toward the woman.

The woman knelt down and covered her mouth with both hands as she quietly started to cry. Though she had none, if she had doubts about who her birth mother was, they would have disappeared by now. She stopped a foot away from her and said, "You're my birth mother."

Izzie Stevens nodded. "I am," she managed to say.

"You gave me away."

Izzie nodded again, but didn't trust herself to speak. Hannah looked up at the other Izzie. "You're not just twins, are you?"

Isabel Evans shook her head. "No, we're not just twins. And you're not just a beautiful young lady."

Hannah nodded without surprise. "I know." Nearby, Jim and Rachel Volper stood holding hands, looking on with heart-broken faces. Hannah looked back at them and smiled. "Can they still be my parents too?"

Isabel nodded. "Yes. You're not a prisoner here, Hannah. You never will be."

A man stepped to Isabel's side, holding a little girl in his arms. "Hello, Hannah," he said. "My name is Max Evans. I am your uncle. And this is one of your cousins, Claudia."

Claudia smiled at Hannah and then ducked shyly into Max's shoulder as two boys joined him. "This is your cousin Zan, and your cousin Kyle. They're all like you, Hannah. They are special."

Hannah turned to the last couple there, a handsome pair many years older than anyone there, who held a red-headed boy of perhaps six. "Is he a cousin too?"

"No, but he is special like you," Max explained. "This is Fox and Dana Mulder. Fox is the Assistant Director in charge of the entire western hemisphere of the planet for the Commonwealth Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation. His wife is the chief forensics officer."

Behind her, she heard her adopted parents shuffle at the importance of those before them. Hannah, though, set her eyes back on her mother. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Izzie Stevens."

"What was my dad's name?" She seemed to know instinctively that her father would never join her.

"Rick Stevens."

"Were you married?"

Izzie shook her head.

Hannah nodded. "Have you been here long?"

"No. Our family just found me too. I was lost, a little. But they found me. Just like they found you."

She nodded, and for the very first time, Hannah Volper smiled at her mother. "It's good we're here," she said softly, as if sharing an important secret. "It feels right." She walked back to her parents and gave each of them a big hug. "I'm going to stay," she said with much more maturity than most twelve-year-olds had. "This is where I belong. But I'll come visit, and I'll write to you and send you email and letters. I promise we'll keep in touch."

As Hannah said good-bye to her family, Max felt his pencom vibrate and pulled it from his pocket. "This is Evans."

"Good morning, Padawan," Kyle Katarn's voice said. "We're leaving orbit now. I should be in the compound in two hours. I sensed a little of what happened. How are Siana, Tess and Michael?"

"They just got decanted from their bacta tanks this morning. And master, we have some new additions."

"I look forward to meeting them. I just downloaded the report on Colonel Green. I was very impressed. Please call a meeting, and make sure to invite Delvin Ostrael. I believe we should have some words as well."

"I will, Master. Welcome back."

"Thank you."

By the time the call ended, a tearful Jim and Rachel Volper had climbed back into their SUV and were driving away, while Hannah stood by her mother and her mother's clone, waiting.

"Master Katarn is on his way," Max said. "I think we should all meet."

Isabel met her brother's eyes. "Everyone?"

He looked at Izzie and her daughter. "Everyone."

Two hours later, Dr. Samantha Carter O'Neill looked up from her desk as her husband walked into the office. "Hi, honey, I'm home," Jack said.

Her grin lit up the room as she stood, walked around the desk, and then wrapped him in a hug and gave him a long, lingering kiss right in front of her secretary. After four years, it still gave her a thrill that she could hug and kiss Jack O'Neill without fear of reprisal.

"I should come home more often," he said.

"You really should."

"Got problems, though. Any idea when the new ships will be on line?"

"We've scheduled their first shakedown cruises next month."

"Speed it up," O'Neill said, all humor gone. "We lost the _Icarus_."

Sam nodded. "I just read the report. The Ori broke through."

"It's just a matter of time before they create a new supergate. We're going to be facing some serious problems soon."

The two walked back to Sam's desk and the windows looking over the dry Nevada desert. "Thor contacted me and advised me of Kyle's request. He said they will have a shipment of two hundred resonance torpedoes ready within the week and more after that. He said they have actually given weapons production a priority due to the Ori threat. He mentioned that the fact that the torpedoes appear to be effective against replicators is an added bonus."

"That's good," O'Neill said, absently.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

He turned and stared down at her, amazed as always at the second chance at life she had given him. The last four years had been a miracle to him. She was a miracle to him.

He just hoped the miracle would last. "They're going to attack Earth," he said.

"How do you know?"

"We're their greatest strategic threat," he said. "It's what I would do."

"Then we'll just have to save the day, like we always do."

He shrugged and thought of India. "But we don't always save the day, do we?"

"No, but we give it a damned good try."


	52. The Sound of Distant Thunder

**Snowfur**--Atlantis is never a central part of the story, but it is mentioned and glimpsed briefly toward the end.

Lord Malkor--Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the sotry. I hope you continue to enjoy!

Darth Tic Tac--We're just getting started. Parts I-III were nothing more than the prelude leading to Parts IV and V. I hope you continue to read and enjoy.

Reviews are nice too.

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Two: The Sound of Distant Thunder**

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Monday, September 4, 2006 (4 CE), 12:03 p.m. MST_

The conference room in the headquarters tower was large enough to fit thirty people, so in this instance it was more than large enough to handle the Jedi. As the table glistened under a bounty of food provided by the CRP caterers, Kyle Katarn had a chance to meet the newest Jedi initiates.

Daniel Jackson was a true revelation to Kyle. A man he already knew as deeply intelligent, educated and compassionate, he now realized Daniel was strong in the Force was well. He had no doubt the scientist would make a fine Jedi.

Shepherd, for all his external bravado, was equally promising, albeit in a rather irritating fashion.

Izzie Stevens, Kyle quickly realized, was a woman of intense compassion and emotion. Like Max, Isabel and the other Antaran hybrids, she projected a great potential in the Force and he had no doubt she would be just as much an asset as the others. She was also reeling every time she looked at Michael, the clone of the man who fathered her daughter and then killed himself in despair.

Zane Peters was still so confused about 1) being alive; and 2) being an alien, that he simply didn't know how to respond to the news that his old life was over and that he had essentially been drafted into the Jedi. Nor did he know how to respond to Max, who in all things biological was completely identical to him.

Of the Antarans, though, the person Kyle was most interested in was Hannah. As her mother and the others watched, Kyle knelt down to be at eye-level with the girl. "Hello, Hannah. Your uncle Max has told me a lot about you."

"You're the alien that saved the world on Doomsday, aren't you?"

Kyle laughed. "I am. But you want to know a secret?"

She nodded.

"You're more alien than I am," he said with a wink. "We've created a special school here for Max's and the Mulders' kids. It's a school to teach them not just how to use their powers, but how to use them in service to others. To be good people and to help the greater good of the world. Is that something you might be interested in?"

"This is where I belong," she said with certainty beyond her years.

He rested a hand on her shoulder and felt the massive Force potential within her. Equal, in fact, to that of William Mulder. "Yes," he said, "This is exactly where you belong."

He stood and walked to the head of the table. Siana was there, looking pale but whole. He noted how she had sheered all her hair off in order for the newly generated follicles to grow even with the rest. However, she was still as beautiful as always. Beside her sat Delvin Ostrael, Imperial Knight. The former Imperial commander met Kyle's eyes squarely and without shame.

The rest settled in. Fox and Dana were there because of Dana's own burgeoning Force potential, and the undeniable Force potential of their young son. Dr. Samantha Carter O'Neill and Admiral Jack O'Neill were there as representatives of the Commonwealth and the Defense Forces.

He looked each in the eye, from Liz Parker to Max to Michael to Tess to Isabel. They were the first ones to find and befriend his Siana. They were the heart of the new Jedi Order, and he knew, they would be on the front line of the coming war.

"I have read all the reports en route back to the surface," he began. "I believe there can be no doubt any more. Michael, Tess, Isabel, Max and Liz, you have performed beyond my expectations and even my hopes. Max, you and Isabel, with only a little help, not only saved Siana, Tess and Michael, you stopped another world war. Liz, you not only protected all the Jedi children from an attack of overwhelming numbers, but you also saved your extended family and single-handedly destroyed the last concentration of Antaran supersoldiers on this planet. Tess and Michael—you endured your captivity and torture with grace, maturity and admirable strength. You have, all of you, performed extraordinarily."

He paused and took a breath. "Siana can tell you from her studies of history that when Luke Skywalker was rebuilding the Jedi order, the old Jedi practice of taking only children and then training them for life fell by the wayside. Siana was raised a Jedi and has always been one, but I did not become a Jedi until I was in my late twenties, and Master Skywalker named me a knight after only a few years of study. I went on to become a master soon after. The same applies here."

He smiled at them all. "You remember when I gave Siana her formal knighting three years ago. It is your turn. Liz Parker, Max Evans, Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin and Tess Harding, please stand and approach."

The Five of them walked and stood before Kyle. "Even though it has only been four years, I have no doubt you are ready. By the Will of the Force, I hereby proclaim you all to be Knights of the Jedi Order. In this galaxy or my old one, you have the right to call yourself Jedi Knights. You have the duty to uphold the laws of civilized beings. You have the right to enforce justice. You have the freedom to follow the Force. I am proud of you. I am your master no more."

Then he grinned. "Good timing, too. I've got a new class of initiates coming soon."

That elicited a chuckle before he continued. "You should know that Admiral O'Neill and I were unable to stop the Ori from breaking through to this galaxy. It is only a matter of time before they will establish a new supergate to bring through more ships." He looked each of them in the eye. "Our conflict with the Ori so far has been in ship engagements. But that will change, and when it does, you will be on the front lines. It will be war like you have never experienced. The priors in this galaxy are much stronger than in my old galaxy. If we were ordinary Jedi, we would have no hope of defeating them. But you are no ordinary Jedi."

"Do we have a plan to deal with them?" Max said.

"We do," Kyle said. "It's a dangerous one. And it will call for sacrifices. But I think it can be done."

"Then we'll be ready," Max said without hesitation.

"I know you will," Kyle said. "And you had better be. The survival of this planet rests on that very fact."

As the official briefing dissolved into a gathering of friends, Daniel stepped across to Michael Guerin. "Michael, there's something we need to discuss. It has to do with blood tests."

* * *

_Jaffa Penal Asteroid, Jaffa Free Territories, September 6, 2006 (4 CE)_

Prisons were relatively new experiments for the Jaffa. Their Goa'uld masters rarely kept prisoners for long. Usually, if someone was unfortunate enough to anger a Goa'uld, they never lived long enough to need long-term imprisonment.

The Jaffa realized, however, that this practice was simply not acceptable, either to their Tau'ri allies or even to their own kind. So, a prison was created with the help of Tau'ri advisors.

One of their first prisoners was none other than one Vala Mal Doran, former Goa'uld host, thief, con artist and a dishonest person in general. She was given her own cell, likely because the prison was still mostly empty, and fed twice a day. Otherwise, she was left completely alone to ponder her many, many thoughts.

She dreamed of a prince coming to rescue her. Perhaps one of those handsome Tau'ri who captured her in the first place. One of her favorite dreams was of the one they called Daniel Jackson realizing the cruelty of placing her in prison when really, how else was she supposed to make a living but to convince those people she was still their god? He would come sweeping in and take her out of there, holding her in his arms as he did so.

But she knew he would not. Handsome heroes did not rescue women like Vala Mal Doran. People like Vala Mal Doran did not really even deserve rescuing, if she was perfectly honest with herself.

When the gates of her cell popped open, however, a small part of her began to hope in spite of her innate cynicism.

But then she heard the staff weapons fire, and the screaming of men in pain, and realized this was something else. She slipped the unlocked cell door open a little further and slipped into the empty hall. The sound was coming from her right. So, turning left, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She was going so fast she never saw or felt the stranger until she ran smack-dab into him and bounced off to the floor. The stranger had not moved with the impact, as if he were somehow rooted to the floor like a wall.

She looked up at his long, flowing white robes, the white cowl over his bone-white skin, and the cloudy eyes that looked down at her almost in reverence.

"Our brother told us of you," he said, almost as if praying. "His words were true." He held out a white hand. "Come with me, Vala Mal Doran. Your future, and the future of this galaxy, awaits you."

"Does it involve prison cells or people shooting at me?" she demanded.

"It involves great glory and riches," he said. "Your name will be hailed for eons to come among the faithful who walk the Path of Origin. Come with me, Vala Mal Doran, and your name will live forever."

_Hmm_, she thought to herself. _Prison and people shooting at her, or creepy white man? _"Okay," she said quickly.

* * *

_Las Vegas, Nevada, Friday, September 8, 2006 (4 CE), 12:23 a.m. MST_

Maria Deluca stumbled into her apartment with a curse. She fumbled at her keys, gave up, kicked the door shut with her foot and turned on the lights.

Her act was now a headliner for her small casino-hotel, meaning a sizable increase in her weekly earnings. The apartment on the top floor of the hotel was a perk of that new act. As she walked through to her balcony and slid open the glass door to allow a wash of cool desert air, she realized that she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"Nice place," a familiar voice said behind her.

Maria turned around with a startled yelp and found herself facing Michael for the first time in over a month. "You cut your hair," she said, surprised.

"I had it burned off in an explosion," he said with a shrug. "It'll grow back. I like your hair, though. Looks good."

She smiled and bobbed her chin. "How you been?"

"Okay. Blown up, tortured a little. Otherwise okay. You?"

"Rich and famous, baby," she said. Her smile had a hint of sadness. "You were part of that thing in South America, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

She started to lift a hand, then let it drop. "I'm sorry, Michael," she whispered. Suddenly she was crying, and she didn't know why.

He pursed his lips and nodded. After a moment, he joined her on the balcony and looked around the shimmering oasis of light that was Vegas at night. "Remember the first time we were here?" he asked. "I bailed on you to go gambling and ended up in jail."

"You also gave me a chance to perform on stage for the first time on the Strip," Maria said, her voice thick with tears. "You were never perfect, but you did try."

He nodded and bowed his head. Her hand lifted of its own accord and rested on the back of his neck. She could feel new scar tissue there, and knew Max had been busy recently healing.

"It was never enough for you, was it?" he said.

She was crying again. "No, I guess not." She let her hand drop and swept it across the city. "This is what I was born for, Michael. It's what I've always wanted. I have a record contract now, too. They're not trying to make me change my style any more. Billy and I have been writing together and the songs are really good, Michael. They're really good."

Her words said one thing. Her pleading eyes said another.

"Want to hear something funny?" Michael said, standing up. "We've identified a chromosome in a portion of the population that marks people as being potential Jedi. When you had your blood test a few years ago, after Siana first arrived, it was filed away in the Stargate mainframe. We reanalyzed it, and discovered you have the gene. Now, looking at you, I can feel it. You could be a Jedi. We could be Jedi together."

Maria held his eyes with hers for the longest time, before finally she looked down and then out over the city. "To be burned and tortured," she said. "Where was your Force then?"

"Not even Jedi are impervious," Michael said, proving with his ability to pronounce the last word that he had become far more than the study-impaired young man she loved years before. Then again, he always was more than he appeared.

She clasped her hands together and bowed her head as if in prayer. Then her back straightened and she wiped her eyes. She looked up at him and met his gaze, and he knew.

"I love you," he said over her head. In the distance he could see a bright star in the sky, and through the Force and his own experience knew it was one of Earth's defenders in orbit. "I loved you from the moment I hijacked your car years ago. And I always will." He held her away from him as she wiped her nose and watched her cry. "I want you to be happy, Maria. That's all that matters. And if that means being with Billy Darden, then that's what you need to do." He lifted her off the balcony floor then and kissed her with all the passion that had ignited their affair seven years before.

Then he let her slide back to the floor. She was looking up at him with something close to awe. "You've become so much more than I ever imagined," she whispered. "But this is where I want to be."

"I know." He leaned down, kissed her forehead, and then turned and walked out of her balcony, out of her apartment, and out of her life. Maria refused to watch him go, and instead stood looking out over her city. "No more tears," she said. She was lying, of course.

End Part 3


	53. PART IV: Morning

**Snowfur**--The next part is Part IV, where the war gets started in earnest**** Thanks for reading!

**Darth Tic-Tac**--That is not the end of Michael and Maria. We will see her again. I appreciate the review.

* * *

**Part Four: The Cleansing Fire**

_Arms will be heard clashing in the sky:  
That very same year the divine ones enemies:  
They will want unjustly to discuss the holy laws:  
Through lightning and war the complacent one put to death._

_Century IV, Quattrain 43, Prophecies of Nostradamus_

**Chapter Fifty-Three: Morning**

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Thursday, November 2, 2006 (4 CE), 3:24 a.m. MST_

This is the life of Elizabeth Claudia Parker, Jedi Knight.

She sits up in her bed and looks down at her beloved husband. They have been married since her eighteenth birthday. She is twenty-two and a mother of two.

She is naked, and so is Max. Whether they make love or not, they always sleep together in the nude. It is, she admits to herself ruefully, a contributing factor to why she is twenty-two and a mother of two.

She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and pulls her robe off the floor. Max whispers something in his sleep and his hand reaches for her, but she is already out of bed and covered.

She quietly lets the door shut behind her and turns on the lights to study herself in the mirror.

Max tells her daily that she is beautiful. But she has changed since they made love for the first time. Her hips have broadened from childbirth and breastfeeding has taken a toll in other areas. When she insisted on breastfeeding their children, she had no idea of the toll that would have on her body.

And yet Max still holds her every night, and tells her how beautiful she is.

She studies the lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. And…is that a gray hair? She pulls it without mercy. No gray hairs at twenty-two.

The truth is that Liz Parker is not a teenager any more. She is still thin—the life of a Jedi does not allow fat, but her body has changed without question. All vestiges of baby fat are gone, leaving her leaner in the face than her pictures proved she once was. She is no longer the girl she used to be, but she's not sure she is ready for the role of motherhood she finds herself in.

So, she walks back into the bedroom and shakes Max awake. "What?" he asks, instantly awake.

"Do you think I'm beautiful?" Liz said.

"Of course." He does not question why she woke him in the middle of the night. He feels her tension and anxiety not just through the Force, but through their unique bond.

"Do you love me?"

"More than life itself."

"Then make love to me."

He smiles. "Okay."

An hour later, Liz Parker sits up in bed. Max has fallen asleep again, a contented smile on his face. She loves him so much, sometimes it hurts. She swings her legs back over the bed and walks back into the bathroom. She does not look any different. Perhaps a little more tired, but no different.

Then, after a moment of consideration, she kneels down over the toilet and throws up. Inside, she feels a spark of life already several days along. "Great," she whispers. "Now we know IUD's don't work on Force users. Should have used the Imperial stuff."

She stands and washes her face. To her reflection in the mirror, she says: "I'm going to be twenty-three and the mother of three."

* * *

This is the life of Dr. Izzie Stephens, Jedi Initiate. 

She sits on the edge of her daughter's bed and studies the miracle that she gave away.

The past two months have been beyond her ability to describe. She is learning so much not just about herself and her own unique alien background, but also the Force, that she feels at times as if her head is going to explode. Even so, she cannot deny the sense of _rightness_ about the entire situation.

She is where she belongs, for the first time ever.

And then there is Hannah…

She and Rick were only fifteen when they stopped fighting the intense attraction they felt for each other. Neither one ever knew they had been adopted, so as far as they knew, they were brother and sister by blood as well as law.

But they had such powerful, vivid dreams. Dreams of holding each other, and of having a baby and living happily forever. Their dreams overrode their societal taboos, and the two found themselves in each other's arms. It felt so wonderful, so exhilarating, that they refused to accept it was bad.

Until Izzie discovered she was pregnant.

She kept it a secret as long as she could, but eventually her mother found out. Oh the scandal. And the condemnation and outright disgust from their parents and friends. It felt as if the whole world had turned on them.

So, one day three months before their daughter was born, Rick took their father's shotgun, placed the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger with his thumb. Izzie was in school, in the back of the class and the source of spiteful stares, when he died. She felt a searing flash through her brain, and realized in that instant that her soul mate and brother was dead.

There was no question at the time of keeping Hannah. But now, as she sits and stares down at this perfect creation, she knows better. Rick and she were acting on programming; they were doing what they were meant to do. And Hannah was exactly who she should be.

As if able to feel her mother's eyes on her, Hannah awakes and sits up in bed. "Mom?" she asks.

It sounds so natural, so wonderful to Izzie's ears. "I'm just watching," Izzie says.

Hannah nods. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart."

Hannah drifts gently back to sleep, and Izzie Stevens sits on the edge of her bed and watches.

* * *

This is the life of Kyle Katarn, Jedi Master. 

Kyle Katarn does not have visions. He left that to the Skywalkers and others. He is a man of action, and listens to the Force only to avoid an oncoming projectile or an unseen lightsaber. He does not have Force visions of the future.

As he lay in his bed in Ruby Valley, however, he dreams a Force dream with such clarity it seems he is standing in the medical bay of the _Lusankya_ again, so many decades ago. He kneels before a striking young woman who is suckling a baby, while adjusting to a prosthetic arm that replaced the arm Kyle himself had cut off in the throes of the dark side. Her name is Nani Delun, and she will change his life in ways he could never have believed.

"_Are you looking for forgiveness?" Nani Delun demanded of him._

_A younger, much more foolish Kyle said: "Maybe, or perhaps absolution. Or, more like penance. I need to make penance, Nani. Somehow, I need to make this up to you. Not just for your sake, but for mine. I was a Jedi knight, but I can't call myself that right now."_

"_So what do you want to do?"_

_He studied her and her daughter, and as he did so he felt a spark in the child, a promise of something extraordinary. "I want to be your protector, yours and Kaylin's," he said, realizing only now what the Force had been telling him since Jerec's death. "I want to remain by your side after this war is settled, and until I know for sure you and your child are safe. And then, when she is old enough, I want to teach your daughter to be a better Jedi than I ever was."_

_Nani looked down at the suckling child, and then back at Kyle, her eyes wide. "She is not…"_

_Kyle smiled sadly. "The Force is strong in her. Perhaps that's why the Priors picked you, knowing your loss would twist her toward the Dark Side."_

_Kaylin began fussing, indicating her food source had run low. Kyle looked away as Nani switched sides and adjusted her shirt accordingly. "I should hate you, you know," she said. "You hurt me."_

_Kyle pushed the chair away and knelt down before her, his face just centimeters from the baby's. "I swear by the Force that I will never harm you again. I swear that I will give my life gladly to protect you and your daughter. I swear this willingly. All I need from you is your permission."_

"_Permission?" Nani laughed a bittersweet laugh. "Me, giving permission to a Jedi knight to be my personal guardian angel?"_

"_Yes."_

_She looked into his eyes for a very long moment. "My husband died trying to defend me too, Kyle Katarn."_

"_Whatever he had to do professionally, it takes a good man to die for those he loves."_

"_Are you a good man, Kyle?"_

_His eyes wet, Kyle shook his head. "No, but I swear I'm trying with all my heart to become one."_

_She stared down at him for the longest time, as if the Force ran through her as well, and she was using that power to peer into the depths of his soul. She did not smile when she reached out and gently traced the line of his unkempt beard, but her words had lost some of the cold steel behind them. "Then you have my permission, Kyle Katarn, Jedi Knight, to be the guardian of my child and me."_

Time flies by in his dream, as it does in the real world. He stands now on Sulon as the Vong pour through the automated defenses of the Katarn homestead.

_Nani Delun is older now, matured and more beautiful than ever. She grew her hair out when she left the service. While watching her daughter Kaylin grow into a powerful Jedi, the hair has grayed into a brilliant white. Beside Kyle, Padawan Anakin Solo also stands ready to defend the Katarn home._

_The two engage the Vong in combat that would become legend among the Vong and the Galactic Alliance as well. Dozens of the Vong fall before two Jedi._

_It still is not enough to protect Nani, who crouched in the doorway firing her blaster in what support she could provide._

_Kyle hears her scream. He feels her shock of pain through the Force and the gentle bond they had formed over the years. Something in his chest catches as he realizes that he has failed in his promise to protect this most important mother. _

_In a fit of blind rage, Kyle unleashes the most powerful maelstrom of Force lightning seen since the Ori war. The Vong stop their attack, not out of fear, but simply out of respect for this powerful Jedi. _

_He leaves the fight and runs to Nani's side. The blast bug has removed not just her prosthetic arm, but so much of her shoulder he can see exposed bone and lung tissue. She looks up, ashen and weak._

"_Nani," he whispers._

"_Protect them," she says to him in a hoarse gasp. He can't tell if she is speaking aloud, or directly through their bond. "Love them. Like you loved me. Like you love Kaylin."_

_Kyle nods through his tears. "I'm so sorry, Nani. I'm so sorry. I tried to be a good man."_

_She reaches up with her natural hand and touches his cheek. "You are a good man, Kyle. I love you, Kyle Katarn. And I forgive you."_

_She sighs and falls limp in his arms. He feels her presence fade, and feels now a burning need to kill in his chest. But as he turns, he sees something that stills his rage._

_Anakin Solo never stopped fighting. The young man had just lost his brother, Jacen, and his young girlfriend Tahiri was badly injured during the attack on Coruscant, and was not expected to survive. He has lost his loved ones just like Kyle did, and he fights now not just with wild abandon, but with a rage so powerful the dark side hovers around him._

_Kyle stands and sees the Vong forces arrayed against them. So far, the Vong are opting for a frontal assault, which leaves the landing pad empty. _

_He Force-pulls the young Jedi from the front lines and holds him with both arms. "Be at peace, Padawan," he whispers as the Vong regroup and prepared to attack. "There is nothing left to defend here. We are needed elsewhere."_

"_I can kill Vong as well here as anywhere," Anakin snarls, his handsome face twisted by rage._

"_And then Jaina would be mourning two brothers instead of one," Kyle says._

_Jaina is the only thing left that Anakin cares for. With a shuddering sigh, the young Jedi lets his rage go for the moment, and then together they bound away from the front lines toward their ship._

Galaxies away and almost a century later, Kyle Katarn sits up in his bed in Ruby Valley. "What is it?" a sleepy voice asks.

Roberta Lincoln props herself up on her elbow and regards the Jedi master.

"I'm going to have to put Siana's life in danger," he said. "She's the last living Delun, and I'm going to have to risk her life. What would her mother say?"

* * *

_Ver Isca, Galaxy unknown_

This is the life of Vala Mal Doran, thief, con artist and former goddess.

Vala Mal Doran sits up in bed and looks down at a man she has known for three weeks. She knows his name is Tomin. He is a metal smith by trade. He enjoys wine and orn rice served with baski steak. He is her husband.

She swings her legs over the edge of the down feather bed and pushes herself upright. The room is small and dark. A large white porcelain pot rests on top of a chest of drawers a few feet from her. She ignores it as she walks out of the room.

In the living/kitchen area, there is a small copper mirror. Metal isn't the most reflective material, but when burnished sufficiently it works. Inscribed in lettering she could not read two months ago are the following words: "_Let not Vanity lead you from the Path. All shall be loved in their place_."

"Yeah, right," she whispers.

She backs away from the mirror and pulls her sleeping gown apart. She is pregnant. Not just pregnant, but judging from the bulge of her stomach, at least six months pregnant.

Vala is not what anyone could accuse of being a virtuous woman. Before becoming a host to the Goa'uld Qetesh, she was known in her old village as something of a…well, she was a harlot. But really, if the mayor hadn't offered her those trinkets it would never have happened. It was really his fault.

But then Qetesh came in, and the Goa'uld had an appetite that was both insatiable and appalling. Vala liked sex as much as the next girl, but not the way Qetesh practiced it.

Since being freed from Qetesh, however, she has not engaged in any sexual activity at all. So, no sex for at least four years, and yet somehow she is six months pregnant after only two months in the village on…whatever world it was.

Tomin was lame when the Priors brought her to him. But as Vala watched, the first prior healed the man and declared him a leader of the Ori Forces. Tomin, the prior said, would lead the troops of Ver Isca in the Holy War against the forces of evil.

Then the prior turned to Vala. "And here stands your bride. She bears a special child, given to her by the will of the Ori. Love her and protect her, and ye shall be loved and protected."

Poor Tomin dropped to both knees and pledged with his life to do just that. And he did. He doted on her and forgave her vicious mood swings and exhaustion and general unpleasantness. He seemed to genuinely love her.

"Vala, what are you doing here?" she whispers as she runs her hands over the skin of her stomach. She feels the baby, two months from inception, wiggle and move.

"The child is healthy?" a deep voice says from behind her. Vala pulls her robe shut and spins around in righteous anger, only to have that anger melt away.

"Seeves," she says.

Seeves is an ugly man, his hair all but gone and his face held in a perpetual expression of dislike. And yet, they have become the closest of allies. "The time is now," he says softly. "The sabotage didn't work, but the Ancient communication device is ready. This may be your only chance to warn them."

With a last look at her sleeping husband, she follows Seeves out of her tiny cramped house and into the cobble-stoned street of the pre-industrial village of Ver Isca.

* * *

_Stargate Command, Colorado, Thursday, November 2, 2006 (4 CE), 5:32 a.m. MST_

This is the life of Dr. Daniel Jackson, Jedi Padawan.

"You don't actually think any of this will help you, do you?" the immortal, god-like creature says with a disdainful sneer. He picks up a priceless vase with all the markings of a pre-Columbian civilization found on a world light-years away, then puts it down and brushes his hand against his shirt. He is wearing the black jumper and T-shirt of SG-1.

"You don't think you're actually going to distract me, do you?" Daniel says as he reaches out with the Force to lift the vase away from the distracting creature.

The creature sneers, snaps his fingers, and with a flash the vase is gone, not just destroyed but completely removed from the universe even down to its component atoms. "Yes, I think I can."

Daniel sighs. "Q, why are you here?"

Q pouts. "I'm bored."

"It's a big universe, can't you be bored somewhere else?"

"I am," Q says. "I've bits and pieces of my consciousness all over the cosmos. They're all bored too."

Daniel purses his lips and continues his cataloging work. In two days, the United States will formally hand over control of the Stargate Program to the United Earth Commonwealth. Whatever he doesn't take with him will be transferred to Nevada, and will be the work of other researchers.

"The Force," Q snorts as if to himself. "Foolish little humans. As if touching something greater than yourselves actually makes you greater. You have no idea what the Force is."

"Enlighten me, Q," Daniel snaps. "If you're going to waste even a small portion of your consciousness bugging me, be useful. Tell me what an omnipotent being like yourself finds interesting about the Force."

"It is the stuff of Divinity," Q says, his broad, eagle-like face suddenly intense. He pushes himself to his feet and rushes across the room until the tip of his nose brushes Daniel's. Daniel notes that the illusion of mortality is incomplete—he feels no breath from the being's nostrils. "You threaten the fabric of the Omniverse whenever you reach for it!"

"Tell that to the Jedi," Daniel says, not intimidated in the least.

"It has been mentioned," Q says. "Ask your pitiful little master about the Valley of the Jedi. Ask him what a nexus in the Force is." He straightens. "You think the Jedi are superior. They have been slaughtering each other for countless generations, just like the rest of you pitiful little creatures. You are no better than anyone else."

"Then why are you here?" Daniel demands.

Suddenly a light flashes from a corner amidst the recently unearthed Glastonbury Tor objects. "For that," Q says with satisfaction.

Daniel steps past the omnipotent irritant and begins pawing through the piles of artifacts until he spots a bright, glowing blue stone atop a strange looking device.

"This is interesting," he says as he reaches down to move it.

"See you soon," Q says, gloating. He flashes white, and is gone.

A moment later, when he stands back up, Daniel repeats, "This is interesting." He looks down and runs his hands over his flat stomach. Then, looking over his shoulder to confirm he is now alone, grabs himself in the crotch. "This could be very interesting indeed," he says.

Then he begins looking around the room until he finds a mirror, which he studies intently for the longest time. "Oh Vala, what have you gotten yourself into now?"


	54. Home Town Hero

**Snowfur**--Couldn't have a Stargate story with Vala.

**Darth Tic Tac**--Couldn't have any Star Trek references without Q.

I appreciate you folks reading and the reviews.

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Home Town Hero**

_Qu'nuS, tlhNgan Empire, November 2, 2006 (4 CE)_

The galaxy is a very large place. There are over 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. It spans a width of over 100,000 light years. Many of those stars have at least one orbiting planet, and one in ten has a terrestrial body that could conceivably support life. Of those, at least one in one hundred thousand has sentient life.

Given those numbers, at least 300,000 sentient life forms have evolved in the galaxy over the millennia. Not all at the same time, perhaps. Not all have space travel. But the galaxy as a whole teems with life, most of it unseen by human eyes.

When the Alterans built their network of Stargates, they made a conscious decision not to include already inhabited planets in the network. Some, like T'khasi, already had a primitive and barbaric civilization at the time. Others, like Iconia, had an advanced and developed civilization spanning several systems and employing a gate network not so dissimilar from what the Alterans themselves were constructing.

With this bias toward unpopulated worlds in the gate system, it was not surprising then that the civilization of the Goa'uld, as parasitic as it was, never strayed far beyond the Stargates. Those worlds left off the network never felt the sting of Goa'uld oppression.

Not so, the Ori. The Ori were interested in all life, in or out of the gate network. For every prior they sent to a new world via the gate, another was dispatched by ship when ships were available.

When three Ori battle-cruisers descended upon the world of Qu'nuS, the natives of that planet mounted an overwhelming defense of thousands of ships. The crews on the ships fought fearlessly, singing and laughing as their ships exploded under the intense white energy of the Ori attack beams.

Green disruptor blasts struck without effect against the Ori shields as the much larger vessels tore easily through the tlhNgan defenses. On the planet below, the High Council watched in shock on tactical boards as their armed forces were swept away by a mere handful of these new enemies.

Then light flashed in the high council chamber, and the tlhNgan found themselves staring at a strange creature clad in white, holding a staff. In perfect Klingonese, the newcomer said, "I have come in the name of the Ori, your gods, to bring Origin to your people."

Naturally, the tlhNgan did not take kindly to what they perceived as a challenge. They pulled their disrupters and bat'leths and charged this new enemy.

Within mere days, the entire tlhNgan Empire, known to their enemies as Klingons, and every sentient being within it were dead. The Ori moved on.

* * *

Las Vegas, Nevada, Lucky Gold Casino and Resort, Thursday, November 2, 2006 (4 CE), 7:32 p.m. MST

Billy Darden's fingers moved over the guitar strings effortlessly, producing music that made the audience sway. It was the voice, however, that ensured they would come back.

A young woman stood in the middle of the stage a few feet from Billy, her face turned from him as she looked out over the dining room floor of the casino hall. She sang one of the songs they wrote together, and her voice captured them.

Maria Deluca's career was moving up fast. She already had a recording contract on the books. She and Billy were due in the studio next month. Plans were already in the works for a tour.

Maria wasn't a pop-singer. She didn't jump around or dance wildly. She stood on stage and she ripped people's souls out through their ears with a deep, longing voice that not only was pitch perfect, but was powerfully melodic.

They had slept together, of course. Her music wasn't enough for Billy. It never had been. He wanted all of her, music, body and soul. And for a while he had her. But for some reason during the past two months, she had shied away from him. She never said why, or what she was doing. He wondered if it was that mysterious boyfriend she used to have, but she wouldn't say.

Still, on stage when she sang, he could forget all about it. When the music flowed, it was enough.

Then, for some reason, the music stopped flowing. Maria suddenly stopped singing and looked down at her arm. Because of the stage lights, Billy couldn't see what she saw, but it must have been horrible, because she screamed. People in the audience stood and some rushed to help, while Billy and Tad, their keyboardist, ran to her.

She turned to Billy with a look of horror. He followed her eyes back down to her arm and saw strange lights flickering across her skin. "He did it to me," she whispered.

"Maria, what's going on?" Billy asked.

"Don't touch me!" Maria shrieked. She pushed out her hand. It touched him in the chest, and inexplicably the young musician flew across the stage and landed in a crash of drums.

"Oh my God!" Maria whispered.

Tad backed away with his hands up. Maria simply turned and ran off stage.

* * *

_Roswell, New Mexico, Monday, November 6th, 2006 (4 CE), 11:23 a.m. MST_

Sheriff Jim Valenti drove his department Bronco through the streets of his city as he did every day on his way to the Crashdown Café. He ate lunch there daily, and every day he and Jeff Parker compared notes on Jeff's daughter and grandchildren.

On that day, as Jim walked in, he found Jeff in high spirits. "Jim!" the café owner called. "Guess what, I'm going to be a granddad again!"

Jim grinned and shook his friend's hand. "Liz and Max aren't wasting any time, are they?"

"Never," Parker said. Then his expression changed as he looked back at the door. Jim turned as well, and bit down his lip in shock. "Speak of the devil!"

The appearance of Max and Liz Evans in the Crashdown caused an immediate sensation. Although most of the regulars only remembered Liz as a little girl and later as a waitress there in the café, many, many tales had been told of her since she left Roswell, including an event just two months ago where she killed an army of two hundred invading, green-skinned, four armed aliens all by herself. (Jeff was known to augment the truth from time to time.)

The two were clad in regular civilian clothes—jeans on both, a light blue sweater for Liz and a gray turtle-neck for Max. Jeff ran around the bar to give his daughter a hug while Jim shook Max's hand.

"Married life agrees with you," the sheriff noted.

Max smiled. "Married life with her agrees with me. Not sure I'd try it any other way."

He then had to accept a hug from his father-in-law. "So what brings you to town?" Jeff asked.

"Family," Liz said. "Where's mom?"

Jeff led her toward the back of the restaurant and the stairs leading up to the Parkers' living space. When the two were alone, Max's smile faltered a little. "She came for family," he said. "After you eat, would you mind playing escort for me?"

"Business?"

"Yep."

"Well, unless we need to go now, let me get you a burger. I bet it's been a long time since you've had a Green Martian Smoothie."

"It has indeed." Max smiled. "By the way, I've been on Mars, and there are no little green men there. Just a few organic microbes and single-celled organisms living under the northern polar ice."

Jim chuckled. "It's good to have you back, Max."

After lunch, the two men drove over to the January Foundation Memorial Museum.

Previously known as the UFO Museum and Library, the JFMM occupied a former movie theater and bomb shelter. It was dedicated to all things alien, with a memorial plaque for all the lives lost to alien beings on January 24, 2002.

Of course, the January Foundation was international now, thanks to extensive funding from its millionaire founder, Brody Davis. But more than that, several authentic alien relics made their way into the Foundation, along with documentation, photos and even security footage and satellite feeds not available to any other public outlet. As a result, the JFMM was acknowledged world-wide as the best repository of alien documentation and information available to the public, and had a booming business.

For a suggested donation of $15.00, Max Evans could see it all.

Of course, Max Evans was largely responsible for much of the documentation and relic leakage, but then again he always had a soft spot in his heart for Brody.

"Can I help you, sir?" a polite young man in slacks and a green button-up shirt with the JFMM logo on it said. He noticed Valenti, and turned his eyes back to Max. "You're Evans," he whispered. "You're Max Evans!"

He turned on his heel and ran.

Max turned to Valenti. The sheriff shrugged. "Local boy makes good, turns into alien superhero, and saves the world from an evil dictator. What can I say, you're famous."

A few minutes later Brody Davis walked into the main lobby. His riotous hair was as high and unrestrained as Max remembered. In fact, nothing about the man had changed at all. "Max Evans," Brody said. "A pleasure to see you again. How can I help?"

"I was wondering if we could talk for a little bit. In private."

"Of course. This way, please."

When they settled into Brody's renovated and spacious office, the eccentric millionaire grinned broadly. "I have to thank you for that satellite footage of the battle. It was the most remarkable footage I have ever seen. We've reconditioned it to three-dimensional IMAX format, added some sound effects, and have been showing it in our in-house IMAX theatre for four months now. It's our biggest draw and funds our Indian scholarship program."

"It is a pretty neat show," Jim agreed.

"I'm glad you could use it. How's you're daughter?" Max leaned forward.

"Beautiful and healthy. The leukemia is completely gone."

"That's good," Max said. He was, of course, the one who healed Brody's daughter. "Brody, we've never talked about your abductions in the past, have we?"

"No, but I was able to figure a lot out after everything became public. I assumed I was being abducted by the Antaran people for experimentation for their hybrids here on Earth."

"Actually, you were being used as a telephone."

Brody blinked. "What?"

"The missing time you experience happens when another Antaran entity named Laric inhabits your consciousness and uses you to communicate. He always makes sure you are not harmed, but there is no question you are being used."

Brody leaned back, his face blank. "You've spoken to this Laric before?"

"I have."

"And you never told me?"

"At the time, we were afraid to because we thought it would put our lives at risk. Later, frankly we didn't have time to think about it."

"So why come to me now?"

"We need to speak to Laric."

"We?"

"The Commonwealth Government has asked that I contact Laric, Brody. We want to open a dialogue with the Antaran people."

"You mean the people that wanted to kill us all and colonize our planet?"

"The people I come from. Yes."

"And there's no other way?"

"No."

"And what do I get out of it?"

Max grinned. "A complete Antaran battle suit from Colonel Green's war in South America. The only things missing are the drugs, ordinance and the power cell. We'll even provide the display case."

Brody's eyes widened and Max knew he had his phone. Money meant nothing to a man like Brody. But an alien artifact? That was worth a lot.

"So what do I do?"

"Close your eyes and relax."

Brody nodded and did as asked. Max reached out and gently held the palm of his hand against Brody's expansive forehead. "Last time Isabel did this," Max whispered to Jim, "it sent Brody flying through a wall. Hopefully the Force will help me form a better connection."

A second later, Brody stiffened. "What are you doing, Max Evans?"

Max sat back as Brody opened his eyes. Those eyes looked at Valenti, then back to Max. "What are you doing, and how did you establish this connection?"

"I've learned a few things since we last spoke, Laric," Max said. "Are you well?"

"As well as can be. We lost many people in Kivar's assault on Earth."

"As did we. Is the war still being fought?"

"In smaller scale, but there is still conflict."

"I want to call a summit, Laric," Max said. "There is a new government on Earth. The United Earth Commonwealth has granted me plenipotentiary power to act as an ambassador to Antar and speak for the UEC. We wish to discuss with you the possibility of an alliance."

"For what purpose?"

"Have you ever heard of the Ori?"

Brody's head leaned left. "I have heard of a terrible force that sweeps through star systems, subjugating or killing everyone in their way. I know of ten species who have been either slaughtered to extinction or enslaved by these beings."

"Earth is fighting them," Max said. "The ship that destroyed so many of your people fell into our possession, with many of its crew. We have used this ship to create a fleet of our own. But we know we cannot withstand the Ori alone. My master fought them in his own galaxy long ago, and has a plan to fight them again. But we need help."

"The Antaran Confederacy is not in a condition to help anyone," Laric said. "Our weapons are turned on ourselves, and all our people are suffering."

"That is why I wish to call a summit, Laric. A summit of everyone except Kivar."

"What do you propose?"

"The return of the king and queen of Antar. The re-establishment of the proper government, and exile for the usurper."

"You rejected that role five years ago, Max."

"I did. But there is more than one Zan on this planet. And there is more than one queen."

"The order of succession…"

"The order of succession was implanted within one of the two sets of clones," Max said. "But that was in our ship. What about the ship sent two months before ours? The clones of Zan and Volandra from that ship lived. And another clone of Avandra lives as well from our ship. I checked, Laric, and he is also the rightful king."

"What you say is of grave importance, too much so for me to make any single commitment. I will agree to a conference, however. In one of your days. The same place as before. This hour."

"Agreed. Thank you, Laric."

"Thank me after the conference, if there is cause."

Max leaned forward, pressed his palm against Brody's forehead, and the other man blinked as if emerging from a deep sleep. "What happened?"

"It worked," Max said. "Sometime tomorrow it will happen again. He's going to take you to New York and we're going to have a meeting. I'll make sure tickets are available and in your hands before you go."

"And I get the battlesuit?"

"It's already been pulled out of research."

"Excellent!"

* * *

_Ruby Valley Commonwealth Relocation Project, Nevada, Monday, November 6th, 2006 (4 CE), 11:52 a.m. MST_

Kyle Katarn stared at Siana until the younger knight blushed. "I'll be all right, Master. I promise."

"Master no more," he said. "What a Jedi you have become! Master Skywalker would be so proud of you!" He looked at Delvin Ostrael. "I will hold you to your word, Imperial Knight. No harm will come to her?"

"On my life, Master Jedi," Ostrael said solemnly.

Kyle nodded and stepped away. "Then may the Force be with you both."

The Asgard Heimdall stepped from Kyle's side and viewed the Jedi. "Master Katarn, remember that I will be exhausting my ship's power supply in making the trip in the speed you request. It will take as long as a week to recharge sufficiently to return."

"I understand, Heimdall," Kyle said. "And I thank you for doing this."

"The Ori are an even greater threat than the Replicators," Heimdall said. "As you helped us with the latter and have brought us to the edge of victory against them, so shall we help you with the former."

There was a flash of light, and Siana and Delvin found themselves on Heimdall's ship in orbit. "Heimdall, is there anything we need to do to prepare for the voyage?" Siana asked.

The Asgard blinked while outside the ship's windows space blurred into super-fast streaks of blue. "Asgard hyperdrives are limited in speed only to the power available. The power to cross galaxies at this speed would equal approximately ten times the combined output of every hypermatter reactor in your galaxy for the duration of the voyage. While hypermatter, to borrow one of Master Katarn's phrases, 'gets the job done,' it is crude and inelegant compared to Asgard energy sources."

"A power source you will not share," Ostrael noted.

"We shared our shielding technology with the Alliance, and it was used to make ships of war to fight each other," Heimdall pointed out. "Imagine what terrors you would enact with even more advanced technology."

"Point taken," Delvin said with surprising grace.

Mere moments later, the stars reverted to normal space and a familiar planet floated before them.

"By the Force," Siana whispered. "It's Ossus."


	55. Zane in the City

**Snowfur**--Just call me Speed Racer. On second thought, don't please...;)

**Roosterman71**--Spacebattles does have a good Story Recommendation thread. I've actually found a few on my favorites list there. I'm glad you've been enjoying this and decided to sign on and say so. Reviews are why we write!

**Darth Tic-Tac**--As someone else pointed out, in their mythology the Klingon's killed their own gods. I just can't imagine them voluntarily signing up to worship new ones.

Well, I've got a new reader, so it's been a good day. Thank you for those who review, and to all the other lurkers out there, I hope you continue to enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Five: Zane In the City**

_New York, Monday, November 6th, 2006 (4 CE), 8:34 p.m. EST_

Ava cringed and started whispering "Owe, owe" to herself as the needle pierced her skin.

The nurse looked at the young woman with a mildly disapproving frown. "Child, haven't you ever had a needle in your arm before?"

She shook her head and sniffed. "Ain't never been sick before," she said.

"Ever?"

"Never."

"And never been stuck, huh? Humph." The nurse believed that as much as she did in aliens walking the street, which was to say not at all. She pulled the plastic-sheathed thermometer from Ava's mouth and stared. "There most be something wrong with this stupid thing."

"What's wrong?"

"This thing here says you have a 114 degree fever."

"I believe it. I'm so hot."

"Honey, 114 degrees and your brain would be dead." The nurse took it again and clucked her tongue. "Stupid thing. Well, I'll let the doc worry about it."

The nurse took the small sample of blood to pathology to check for what she thought would be either full blown AIDS or possibly an advanced case of syphilis. Ava was dressed in a too-short skirt with garish black stockings up to her knees and a bright blue denim jacket with nothing underneath but a black lace bra. The nurse knew the girl's profession leant itself to such diseases.

Ava remained alone on a bed in the emergency room of Elmhurst Hospital Center off Broadway in southern Manhattan, surrounded by a rainbow of humanity speaking nearly every language on Earth. She heard lots of angry voices and saw exhaustion and frustration on the faces of much of the staff and the patients as well. She understood the frustration a little—she waited in the emergency room for almost two hours before they were able to see her. The world might have changed, but New York City was the same as always.

This was Ava's very first trip to a hospital or a clinic ever. In her life under the streets of New York, she had never become sick or felt physically ill, ever—until that very day, when she had a fit of coughing and drank some cold medicine.

The horrid fever, aching and headaches that followed were the most intense thing Ava had felt since she watched her man die five years before. Not knowing what else to do, she went to the hospital.

Thirty minutes later, the nurse returned. Ava noticed two things immediately that concerned her. One—the nurse looked scared. Two, the nurse was not alone. She had a young Indian doctor on one side, and two police officers on the other.

"Ma'am, would you come with us, please?" one of the officers said.

Ava did not have the energy to fight. She didn't have the energy to comply. Her head hurt so badly, all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball somewhere and die. When she didn't respond immediately, one of the officers grabbed her arm to pull her to the floor.

The intense, burning pain of the contact elicited a scream from the young woman. Instinctively, Ava struck out with power. The officer went flying backward across a gurney and into the bed area of a young Hispanic boy and his family.

The other officer backed away and pulled his gun while the nurse and doctor and all the nearby patients ducked for cover.

Ava merely held her arm, crying and saying "Owe! Owe!" as she collapsed back on the table. "Please!" she cried. "Just make it stop hurting!"

* * *

What can one say about Zane Peters? 

His friends in high school called him reserved. His teachers adored him because he didn't ask stupid questions and did his assignments without complaining. The two girls who dated him called him the best lover they ever had, not realizing that Antaran copulation was a much more involved and sensation-laden affair than the human version. It left both women exhausted and a little burned out by the time he left them, looking for something he couldn't identify, but knew was just out of his reach.

He was a lawyer and was on the cusp of entering politics when the strangers with the rayguns attacked, and that was the end of Zane Peter's fist life.

His second life began in the hospital right after, when he discovered a younger brother who was genetically identical and two sisters who were also identical, and children who biologically had as much right to call him father as they did their true father.

And then there was Master Katarn and the Force.

It was enough to make a man go insane.

"So who are we meeting again?" Zane asked again.

Max smiled patiently. "Representatives of four of the worlds of the Antaran Confederacy. Tomorrow just after noon."

"Why, again?"

"Because you're their rightful king," Tess Harding said from the back.

"Oh, yeah. The king business. I thought Max was their rightful king and you were the queen."

"I am," Max said. "Only, I turned the position down five years ago."

"And I produced a human heir that they rejected, along with me," Tess explained. "I can't ever go back."

Max set the hovercar down on a dedicated police parking garage in Manhattan. He put up his UEC permit and activated the security systems.

An NYPD officer was already running toward them with his hand on his gun when he saw two identical men and a young woman climb out. "You can't park that thing here!" the officer said.

"Yes we can," Max said. "Check your manual. We're on official UEC business. And try not to touch the car. It has a laser defense system that would take your arm off."

As they left the stunned officer, Zane looked back and said: "Does it really?"

"No, but the car alarm says it does when you get too close," Max said, smirking.

"So what do we do first?"

"We find your future wife," Tess said with a grin. Her beautiful blonde hair was only now starting to grow back after her burns in South America. She had enough to style in short waves.

"What?"

"Long story," Max said. And then he explained as the three made their way to the subways.

* * *

Ava woke to find herself in a straight jacket in a white room. The fever was a little better, but she still ached all over. 

"Where am I?" she asked, but no one answered. With some effort, she managed to push herself back into a sitting position and leaned against a padded white wall.

"I don't understand," she called out. "I'm not crazy. I had a fever. I just wanted a shot to feel better. Why am I here?"

The door opened, and a single woman stepped in. She was in her late forties, conservatively dressed in a gray skirt and jacket. Her only jewelry was a pearl necklace. She carried a simple folding chair and placed it on the floor in front of Ava.

"What's going on?" Ava pleaded. "Please, just tell me what's happening."

"My name is Doctor Elizabeth Olivet," the woman said kindly. "You are here, Ava, because of your blood test."

Ava began stammering as she realized the enormity of her mistake. "It ain't my fault," she whispered. "I'm just trying to live. I ain't tried hurtin' nobody. It ain't my fault." She began to cry, her sobs racking her whole body.

"Ava, do you know what we found in the blood work?"

Ava bowed her head and nodded as she cried. "You're gonna call Max, and he's gonna come kill me," she said. "I knew he would." She sat up and sniffed as her tears slowed. "I knew it'd come. Rath and Lonnie killed Zan, that's why they needed Max. But he wouldn't play, and the other me, she killed Rath and Lonnie. I ran away. I didn't wanna die. I don't wanna go back. I just wanna live."

Dr. Olivet looked stunned. "Ava, who are Rath and Lonnie? Who was killed?"

The door suddenly opened and Olivet nearly fell out of her chair. Sans nose and ear piercings and a series of tattoos on her arms, the woman standing in the doorway was identical to the one on the floor. As she stepped inside the room, two men followed, both of whom were also identical.

In her corner, Ava began to shriek. "Don't kill me! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

Olivet jumped to her feet. "What is the meaning of this?"

One of the men removed a wallet and flashed an ID. "Max Evans, Commonwealth Special Investigations. And these are my partners, Zane Peters and Tess Harding, also of the SIU."

Olivet stared at the three of them. "This young woman thinks you are going to kill her."

"We're not going to harm you, Ava," Tess said. "Let me guess. You drank some cold medicine, right?"

"Y…yeah," Ava stammered.

Tess laughed gently as she walked across the small padded room and knelt down beside Ava to start undoing her restraints.

"This is highly unusual," Olivet began. "Where are your transfer orders for this patient?"

"Since she's a non-human, her custody falls solely under SIU jurisdiction," Max explained. "You should know this—your department sent us the blood results. Your conversation with her was illegal." In the corner, Tess gently helped Ava to her feet. "We'll overlook it, since I believe you were honestly attempting to help. But this is no longer your concern."

With that, the two Maxes and the two Avas walked out while Dr. Olivet pulled her cell phone to make some calls.

"Max, Tess, are you going to hurt me?" Ava whimpered as they walked down the halls of the hospital.

"Of course not," he chided her gently. "Liz told me you helped her warn me years ago. In a way, I owe you my life. By the way, this is Zane Peters, another Zan clone."

Ava looked at the older Max and waved child-like. "Hi, Zane. I like your name. It's like Zan but sounds cooler."

"Thank you. I like your name too. Is it short for anything?"

"My Antaran name was Avandra," she said. She looked back at Tess. "So the cough medicine did this to me? I was sick before that."

"The blood test the city sent showed you were exposed to bacterial meningitis," Tess explained. "We don't really get sick but sometimes the really bad bugs mimic cold symptoms for a little while. Your body fought it off, but it made you feel sick for a day or two. It's the cough medicine that made you feel really bad." She laughed. "It's funny. Because Max and Michael went nuts on alcohol, we assumed we couldn't drink. But then we met another Volandra clone named Izzie who drinks all the time. So it turns out that the hybrid men can't drink alcohol and the women can, but the women can't tolerate any type of suphedrine. Meth would kill you. The mysteries of human/Antaran cloning never cease to amaze me."

Ava nodded, and then smiled shyly. "I really like your haircut, Tess."

"Thanks," Tess said, her smile a mirror image of Ava's. "Considering it was all burned off a couple of months ago, I'm glad to have any hair to style."

Ava nodded and then looked at the three of them. "Why are you here, Max? Why did you come for me?"

He stopped and looked down at her. "You belong with us, Ava. With your family. But more than that—there's going to be another summit tomorrow. I want you there."

"But why?"

They stopped as Tess began gently removing Ava's nose and ear rings. Where her fingers touched, the piercing sealed back up into unblemished skin. Where Tess's hand passed, Ava's tattoos melted away, leaving the skin as clean as before. "Because somewhere inside of you, Avandra, is a queen," Tess said for Max.

* * *

Ely, Nevada, Monday, November 6th, 2006 (4 CE), 10:42 p.m. MT 

The Lexus came to a rest in the parking lot of a McDonalds. The lone inhabitant climbed out and walked into the restaurant in her $1200 fur coat. The three people working in the restaurant noticed the fur. "May I help you?" the girl at the register asked.

Maria Deluca ordered a chocolate milkshake and when she had it walked to a table next to one of the windows facing the highway. A few minutes later a strange gray car that looked like a mix of a Delorian and Hummer pulled into the parking lot and stopped next to hers. The driver climbed out in jeans and a black turtleneck, with only a light windbreaker despite the snow on the ground.

"Yeah, I want a double-meat quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a soda, supersized," he announced when he reached the counter. His voice boomed through the otherwise empty restaurant. When he got his food and filled his cup at the self-serve soda bar, he meandered through the floor until he took the table next to Maria. As he passed by, they both noticed the odd blue-green sparks in her arms.

"That looks like it hurts," Michael Guerin said.

"It isn't fun," Maria snapped back. She leaned over and in a voice like a snake using a bullhorn, hissed "You bastard! You little prick! You did this to me. Somehow, when you said good bye, you did this to me!"

Michael very calmly took a massive bite from his hamburger and chewed slowly while Maria glared at him. When he was done, he then took a long pull on his soda. And then he said, "Yep."

Maria's nostrils and eyes flared dangerously. "What do you mean, 'Yep'!?" she screeched.

The three employees gathered around the front counter to see. Maria and Michael ignored them.

"I mean, I did do it to you," he said. "But not when we said good bye. I told you that you have the gene marker that makes you susceptible not just to the Force, but to the Antaran energy wave. We finally figured out why all those kids Max healed in Phoenix a few years ago suddenly didn't start displaying powers, but Liz, and now you did. You all carry this gene marker. All the old families in Roswell came from a population clump that had a high percent of this marker."

"What does that mean?"

"We had sex for almost four years, Maria. It's not as quick as Max healing you, but you got exposed to the Antaran energy wave."

"What do I do?"

"Well, Liz and Max had more sex. That seemed to work well with them."

Maria buried her head in her hands while Michael finished his hamburger. "I hate you," she whispered.

Michael nodded. "I know."

She looked up, her eyes narrow. "I'm not joking."

"I can read your mind, Maria. I know. I'm sorry. I really didn't know this would happen."

"I don't want to be a Jedi," she said. "I don't want to spend my whole life running around from scary monsters. You're doing things I just don't want to do."

Michael shrugged. "I know you hate me, Maria. But I love you. And because I love you, I'm not going to try and tell you what to do. If you want to learn to control the powers that are going to show up sooner or later, you come to us. We're down in Ruby Valley. I can tell you that Liz really, really misses you. She's hurt that you haven't visited. Have you even seen Claudia? And if you don't want to learn, then you go back to your life. With or without me, Maria, I just want you to be happy."

He finished his drink, took his tray and walked away. Maria didn't look up until he was out of the building. Then she buried her face in her hands again and cried.


	56. To A Galaxy Far Far Away

**Snowfur**--Rest assured, we haven't seen the last of Maria.

**Darth Tic Tac**--Yes, she was. Thought it might be nice to throw in a cameo here and there. And if they were in Chicago, they probably would have seen some _ER_ doctors. Sadly they were in New York.

**Roosterman71**--I'm pretty sure only twelve of us actually watched Roswell. It's production value was pretty bad, and sometimes the acting wasn't two great among the leads, and yet it was still an enormously entertaining show for me. I just found the characters very likeable. I'm glad I was able to convey those characters for you.

Thank you all for reading and posting reviews. It is greatly appreciated!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Six: To A Galaxy Far, Far Away**

_Stargate Command, Colorado, Monday, November 6, 2006 (4 CE), 7:58 p.m. MST_

Kyle strode through the halls of Stargate Command with a stony expression. Those remaining Air Force personnel who remembered working with the Jedi master took one look at the expression before ducking out of the way.

He made it to the medical observation balcony and found Drs. Frazier and Lam comparing notes with General Landry. In the bay below, Daniel Jackson was talking to Colonel Mitchell.

"Why wasn't I called sooner?" Kyle said the moment he stepped in.

Landry gave him one of the general's more famous looks, as if the mere thought he had to answer to Katarn was insulting.

Kyle frankly did not care. Stepping past the general, he moved beside Frazier. "Janet, how long has he been like this?"

"Since Thursday," Janet said. "I guess it's my fault for not calling you sooner."

"Now see here…" Landry began.

Kyle cut him off. "Daniel is now a Jedi and my padawan," the Jedi said. "I should have been notified immediately."

"Why didn't this 'Force' thing of yours work?" Landry demanded.

"I don't know," Kyle admitted. "I still feel our link, but it is distant. Now, Janet, you were saying?"

"Well, you have to understand Daniel's medical history. He's actually suffered from this type of …thing before. So when he claimed to be Vala Mal Doran, whoever that was, we frankly thought it was a psychotic break. But then we had Dr. Lee go through Daniel's office and he found an Alteran device that was producing some type of energy signal. We realized then we needed to call."

Even from the observation balcony, Kyle knew that the person down there was telling the truth. Although he only knew her for a short time after her arrest and deportation to the Jaffa, he instantly recognized Vala's Force signature emanating from Daniel Jackson's body. His own link to his padawan did not seem to guide him into the room. "She's telling the truth," he said at last.

He left the indignant general and the doctors and entered the room. Colonel Mitchell stood up as Kyle stepped in. The woman within Daniel merely stared. "I know you!" she said. "You killed that prior on Qetesh's planet!"

"And you're Vala Mal Doran, a thief and a crook," he said. "Why are you inhabiting Daniel Jackson's body?"

"So you believe her too?" Mitchell asked.

"I can see her," Kyle said as he sat down. He motioned Mitchell to do the same.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," she said. "Some creepy guy in white robes helped me escape the prison you sent me too. Did you know they only fed us twice a day? And never let me out even to exercise? Anyway, he said I'd get all sorts of goodies and be rich and famous. But he didn't mention anything about getting pregnant."

Kyle reared back as if struck. "Pregnant?"

"Really pregnant," Vala/Daniel said. "It's only been two months but I'm as big as a cow and the prior here says I'm going to deliver within a couple of weeks."

"Where are you?"

"I have no idea. The village here doesn't even have plumbing, much less maps. But they're still building ships. Maybe a dozen or so. And I've been told they're building a dozen or so in every village. So, it's going to be a lot."

Kyle looked at Mitchell, then at Vala. "Are you in danger right now?"

"You better believe it. I fell in with a guy who was trying to sabotage the ships. Not everyone here believes in the Ori, I guess. His partner was caught and they burned her as a witch." Suddenly Daniel looked scared. "They burned her twice. After the first time, this creepy prior guy brought her back to life again. It was really, really scary. Then he asked her to reveal her partners, but she wouldn't do it so they burned her to death again."

Kyle had heard enough. "All right, Vala, terminate the connection. I have the information I need. Thank you for telling us."

"I don't care about you, what about me?" she said. "I have no intention of having a baby! Do you know how much that hurts? You've got to come rescue…."

She stopped mid-sentence. Daniel Jackson blinked and looked around. "Master Katarn? Mitchell? What's happening?"

"We just got word from a galaxy far far away," Katarn said. "The Ori are coming in force very soon."

Galaxies away, Vala Mal Doran screamed as she jerked her hand away from the sparking Ancient communication device. In the doorway of the small room stood her husband Tomin, with an Ori stave in his hands. He glared not at her, but at Seeves, who stood by her side.

Behind Tomin came the same prior who had burned Denya, a fellow conspirator, to death. "At last the cancer is found," the Prior said. "Those who deny the path of Origin must be destroyed."

Tomin fired and Seeves died. "It was his fault," Vala said quickly, pointing to the body.

"I know, my wife," Tomin said as he rushed to her side. "The heretics were trying to lead you from the path of righteousness! But no more. You are safe now, you and little Adria."

"Hallowed are the Ori," the prior said.

"Hallowed are the Ori!" Tomin said with fervor.

"Hallowed are the Ori," Vala Mal Doran echoed, all while crying inside for the two people who died so she could warn a galaxy that didn't even want her.

* * *

_Ossus, Auril Sector, 134 ABY (4 Years After the Fall of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances)_

"That was amazing," Delvin Ostrael said. "We crossed twenty-eight galaxies in mere minutes."

"Yes," the Asgard named Heimdall said. "However, my ship will not be capable of such speeds again for some time. At this stage, I could barely enter hyperspace."

The diminutive creature turned to review a panel in his control area. "However, it may not be necessary. We are being approached by an Imperial star destroyer demanding to know who we are."

"May I speak to them?" Ostrael asked.

"Please do so."

The signal from the star destroyer was routed through the ship. "…_Gilead_ to alien vessel, identify yourself immediately or you will be fired upon."

"_Gilead_, stand by for declaration," Ostrael said. "Secure code 2-_Cresh-Cresh_ 456 _Zerek-Krenth_. Confirm, please."

"Code confirmed, Knight Ostrael," a different voice suddenly said. "This is Captain Ovorman of the HIMS _Gilead_. You were reported dead four years ago."

"Not dead, Captain, merely in a galaxy far, far away. I am aboard an Asgard vessel with a Jedi knight. May I come aboard to discuss the state of the Empire?"

"You may do so."

A flash of light later, and Captain Ovorman stepped back in surprise. The rest of the bridge reacted tensely, with several storm troopers taking up guard positions. Ovorman, however, quickly regained control.

"I have heard legends of Asgard beaming technology," Ovorman said. "Remarkable. I take it you are Knight Ostrael?"

"I am."

"And this must be your Jedi?"

"Siana Delun," she said.

"Well, let's talk, shall we?"

In the captain's conference room, they settled down with a cup of caf. "So you've been in another galaxy all these years?"

Ostrael nodded and sipped the drink. It somehow tasted a little bitter after four years of Earth coffee. "Tell me, Captain, how fares the Empire? I know Darth Krayt tried to kill the Emperor and usurp the throne."

"He tried. Got the Emperor's security double. That Sith bastard sat on the throne for just a day or so before he shot off after his Hand and some legendary Jedi."

"Kyle Katarn, yes. We've met."

"Really?" the captain said. "Well, to make a long matter short, after the Sith coup and Krayt's disappearance the Emperor came out of hiding, annulled the Treaty of Anaxes and declared open war on the Sith. He even offered the Alliance remnant a treaty allowing them to keep any worlds still under their control if the worlds wanted it. We've been fighting the Sith ever since."

"Captain, what of the Jedi?" Siana asked.

He studied her for a long moment. "The Jedi are still not friends with the Empire, if that's what you mean. However, the Emperor publicly released evidence showing the Sith were sabotaging the Jedi-Vong terraforming projects. The public outcry against them lessened to a degree. We have formally rescinded the arrest warrants for them, but Jedi otherwise have no more rights under the Empire than any other citizen."

"Have they tried to restore the academy?"

"On Ruusan, yes," the captain said. "They have understandably had some recruiting issues, however. So, Knight Ostrael, tell me of this alliance you speak of?"

Ostrael told the story of the _Dragon's Claw_ and Earth's willingness to offer sanctuary and even citizenship to the crew of a ship that nearly destroyed it.

"The Ori have begun an invasion of the Earth's galaxy," he summed up. "Kyle Katarn has established a Jedi academy of sorts on Earth, and they have the support of the Asgard, just as the Asgard aided our galaxy a century ago. But it is not enough, and Earth knows it. Though they have made huge leaps technologically with our aid, they are still many centuries behind us in terms of warfare. They need our help."

"And how do you expect the Empire to help? These beings are twenty-eight galaxies away."

"I ate breakfast there this morning," Siana said. "The Asgard can cross galaxies very quickly. Heimdall tells me that when fully charged he can tow a _Paelleon_-class star destroyer across the gulf in three days."

"When charged?"

"When charged."

The captain said in silent thought for a moment. "Invite your Asgard friend aboard. Emperor Fel's family lives because the Asgard saved his ancestor during the Ori War. I'm sure at the very least the Asgard will be given safe passage. We will go to Coruscant, and you can there speak with the emperor regarding your request. In the meantime, dinner is within the hour. Would you both care to join me? The Asgard is more than welcome to attend."

"Heimdall thanks you for your offer," Siana said. She had no need to actually forward the invitation since she knew the answer. "The Asgard take limited amounts of nutrients and from what I understand their dietary requirements are unique. However, he will be glad to dock his vessel with yours to conserve power on the trip to Coruscant…" She blinked and looked down at her lap. "The capital of the Empire is Coruscant?"

"Where else?" the captain asked.

Siana looked at Delvin. "Captain, do you think the Emperor would allow Jedi on Coruscant?"

"You wish to recruit them as well?"

"Yes. And also—I was at Ossus. I lost my family to the Imperials and the Sith. If any of my friends survived, I would very much like to learn of it."

"I will forward your request to the Emperor."

"Thank you, Captain."

* * *

_The Imperial Romulan Senate, Romulus, November 6, 2006 (4 CE)_

The barbarous Klingon stood defiantly before the gathered senate of the people of the Romulan Star Empire. He was a proud creature, and the red-purple blood staining his cheeks and hand proved he had fought gloriously in battle.

The fact he now stood before the Romulans proved he had lost.

"And you say just three of this ships defeated the entire Klingon defense force?" an incredulous minister demanded.

"Just three," the Klingon said. "One of their kind came to our world and demanded we worship his gods. We fought him. He killed us."

"A single one of them?"

"He made us all sick."

"How?"

"He slammed his staff on the rock, and we all got sick and died. All of Qu'noS. They landed troops on our colony worlds and we fought glorious battles, but then the white-robes would come, and we would all get sick and die. There is no honor in such a death."

"So how many of you are left?" another minister asked.

"None." The Klingon struck his chest. "I, Gark'on, son or Sh'ur'on, am the last of my kind. I have fulfilled my last mission—to warn even such as you of the Ori, and now I shall die with honor!"

The Klingon pulled his hegh'bat knife from its sheath, threw back his head in a roar that shook the room, and plunged the blade deep into his own chest.

The Romulans watched impassively. When the Klingon fell still on the floor, the prime minister waved for aides to take the alien trash away. "So," the prime minister said to the others. "Speak."

"The Klingons were a filthy race," one senator said. "But their defenses were considerable. For any entity to destroy the entire species in just days is daunting."

"They are a threat?" the prime minister demanded.

"They are," the senate agreed.

"Action?"

"Place all outposts and colonies on high alert," a senator said. "And order all not to fight openly with these beings, but to engage them in conversation to learn more of these gods and the enemy forces."

"Guile over Force," the prime minister said. "A vote?"

The vote was returned, and the Romulan Empire's course of action was determined. The first Priors arrived in their space just days later.


	57. Zane Still in the City

**Snowfur**—Gotta love the Asgard. And Chapter 58 discusses how the empire has changed in light of Darth Krayt's demise.

**Roosterman71**—I'm glad you liked that part. Here they are, faced with the last of a powerful race, who dies with pride before them, and they dismiss him like so much garbage. Typically Romulan.

**Malbogia**—Thank you, I'm glad you're reading!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Zane Still In the City **

_New York City, Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 (4 CE), 12:23 p.m. EST_

Zane Peters sat in a chair as the stranger placed a hand at the back of his head. Max, Ava and Tess stood nearby, watching.

A light shone from behind Zane's eyes and projected a starscape with five stars arranged in a V-pattern in a 3-dimensional holographic image in the air before him.

The stranger stepped back and nodded to the table of four other people waiting nearby. "Evans speaks the truth. This one also carries the Royal Seal."

Brody Davis stood and looked at the others. In Laric's voice, he said, "Five years ago, Max Evans refused to return to our home. We have since learned that Kivar's offer at that time was done out of guile; that he fully intended to kill the royal four."

"I almost wish he had," one of the representatives said. All were perfectly normal people, bland in appearance and demeanor, except that all spoke with alien voices and intellects. The current speaker was a large woman in her late fifties with painfully bulging hair. "The civil war was bad enough, but the damage done by the loss of over a million of our people in the attack on Earth is incalculable. Every family in the Consortium last a loved one."

Max stepped forward. "Need I remind you that Earth lost over a billion of its people during that attack? That's why I come to you now. Zane Peters has stated he is willing to return, with Avondra as well. You will have your king and queen back, wiser for the experiences of our past. Zane studied law on our planet, and so has the background necessary to rule by law and not force. And Avandra has known a life of pain and destitution here on Earth, and so understands the suffering of our people."

"And in return for a restoration of the throne you want help fighting these Ori?" another representative said. This one was a thin African man with deeply scarred cheeks.

"We do. And your help is in all our best interest. The Ori will perceive you as a threat, just like they do the Asgard, and they will destroy you."

The Antarans were too intelligent to scoff at the claim. They had monitored the deaths and subjugation of many species over just the past month at the hands of the Ori. 

"We are proceeding under an assumption that may be mistaken," a third minister said. This one used the body of a famous model whose face Max had seen on a bill board in the city. "Kivar will not just hand over power, and he still has enough followers to be dangerous. Otherwise he would have been deposed some time ago."

"Another reason we are here," Max said. "Earth has space capability now and is willing to help, but I can't help but feel Earth's involvement would backfire."

The large woman nearly snarled. "It would more than just back fire. It would unify us all against this planet."

"What about the Asgard?" Max asked.

The Antarans studied each other in silence for a long time. "We have not had contact with our cousins in centuries," Brody/Laric said.

"They have not forgotten you," Max said. "They have become close allies of Earth and also wish to curtail the Ori expansion. They also speak very highly of the Antaran race. Although they do not approve of Kivar, they most certainly would approve of the restoration of the rightful government."

"The Asgard have never been conquerors," the thin black man said. "We have often ridiculed them for this very reason. It would be difficult for even Kivar to claim our space was being invaded."

"What do you propose then?" the model said.

"An alliance," Max said. "The four other worlds of the Consortium would send their ships with two Asgard motherhips with me, Zane and Ava. We will offer Kivar and his most fervent followers banishment, and a general pardon for anyone else involved in the coup if he voluntarily steps down."

"And if he doesn't?" Laric asked.

"Then we remove him."

The others shared a long look again, communing telepathically, Max knew. "There is much to discuss," Laric finally said. "Leave us for one hour and then return to this place."

"Thank you for considering our offer," Max said. He and the others turned and left the room. 

* * *

_Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, November 7, 2006 (4 CE), 2:58 p.m. EST_

Dr. Jackson Roykirk, Assistant Director of Research for the Ruby Valley Research Corporation, sighed as he climbed out of the hovercar. 

He had grown accustomed to the awe-struck stares of people who had never seen a hovercar before, and so paid them no mind as he climbed into the already cold wintry air of Pennsylvania. 

People were standing on their porches, staring. There were no children, thank goodness, since school was still in session, but there were enough housewives and retired people to take notice of the flying car that landed in front of the home of Maggie Roykirk.

Jackson took a long, hard look at the home his parents had lived in since he was in his teens. His mother bought it after marrying his step father in 1960, and they had maintained it ever since, managing through example to keep the rest of the neighborhood from falling into disrepair.

It was a already bitterly cold even as early as November, as it had been every year since Doomsday. A foot of snow had already accumulated. Someone had already shoveled the sidewalks for the Roykirk home, but somehow Jackson doubted his 90 year old father did it, and knew for a fact his mother did not.

His mother was why he was home.

With a sigh, he began trudging up the stairs to the door and rang the doorbell. His father answered. "Jack," the older man said.

This was Jackson Roykirk's first visit home in years. Ordinarily, his mother would come out and visit. She always told him his step-father wasn't feeling well and didn't like to travel, and with the advancing years, Jackson accepted that. In fact, he hadn't seen his step-father since he was twenty-five years old. It wasn't that they were not close—his step father was simply distant to everyone but Jackson's mother. 

What Jackson Roykirk saw when his step father opened the door and said his name, though, made his jaw drop.

Mestral Roykirk had not aged in twenty years. He still looked to be in his late forties, with black hair cut in a bowl-shape and pale skin. He still had the odd scars on his ears he always attributed to skin cancer, but otherwise looked as unchanged as when Jackson left home to go to college.

"Mestral," he said. "I…you look remarkable."

"Thank you," Mestral said. "You're looking well. Please, come in."

Mestral led Jack through the wandering halls of the house to the back bedroom. Maggie Roykirk lay in an immaculately made bed, her hands crossed on her stomach, her face serene but sunken. 

"When did she die?" Jackson said with a lump in his throat.

"Early this morning. I wanted you to see her before the authorities."

Jackson sat down on the edge of the bed and touched his mother's hand. She had been immaculately cleaned and dressed, and her hands rested lightly on her stomach. Without looking up, he said the words he had wanted to say for many years. "Thank you for making her happy, Mestral. After my father divorced her, mother struggled so much to make a life for me. But after she met you, she seemed so quietly happy, serene almost. I know that meditation you taught us made a difference as well, but still—thank you for making her life better than it would have been otherwise."

Mestral nodded solemnly as he came around the bed and stared down at his wife of 46 years. He looked barely 46 himself.

"Mestral, you know I'm a researcher and a scientist, so I have to ask this: Why haven't you aged?"

Mestral sat next to his wife with a sad, laconic smile and pulled his feet into a lotus position on the bed. "I was hoping never to have this conversation with you, Jack, but such hope was illogical. Events have unfolded that leave me no choice but to tell you."

He reached down and removed the silver poodle-shaped brooch he had given his wife ten years before and with the sharp needle poked his thumb. He milked out a drop of blood and held it up close to Jackson's eyes.

The droplet of blood was green.

"I came from a world we call T'khasi. Our people are called Vuhlkanu, pronounced much like your Roman god of fire. My ship crashed here in 1957. My comrades returned to our home, but after meeting your mother and learning so much of this world, I decided to stay."

Jackson's jaw dropped. "You mean my step father is an alien?"

"Yes. And so was the one who funded your scholarship. A shipmate of mine named T'Mir sold some secure webbing from our ship as a patent that she used to fund your scholarship. I believe it is called Velcro now."

Jackson fought a feeling of dizziness. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"_War of the Worlds_," Mestral said. "That movie scared you so badly as a young boy that I was afraid if I mentioned real aliens you would be traumatized."

"Mestral, I build spaceships for a living!" Roykirk said. "One of my engineers is a blue-skinned, red-eyed alien from a planet twenty eight galaxies away! I don't care if you're alien, I just wanted to know about it!"

"I see," Mestrael said, blinking but otherwise calm in the face of his step-son's tirade. "I am glad to see that you humans have expanded your perceptions. But there is another reason why I am telling you this now."

"What?"

"T'Mir contacted me by subspace. This morning. T'khasi has been invaded by a terrible enemy. She has asked if Earth was in any position to help. These enemy call themselves the Ori."

Jackson stared at his father in law with his jaw hanging open. Very few in research or anywhere else knew about the Ori. He knew only because of the needs for increased ship production. They now had seven ships of the line in active service and had already laid the keels for four more. The public at large, however, should have had no knowledge of the Ori.

"You won't be able to pretend to be human any more," Jackson finally thought to say.

"I know. Truthfully, Jack, Maggie was my only reason for wanting to stay. As she grew more frail, I thought about what I would do, and decided I would return to T'khasi if the opportunity ever presented itself. But only if I have a world to return to."

Jackson nodded. "Then come with me. There are people you will need to meet."

* * *

_New York City, Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 (4 CE), 1:33 p.m. EST_

Max Evans, Tess Harding, Zane Peters and Ava walked back into warehouse and the table that sat in the middle of the otherwise empty room. 

Brody Davis as Laric stood to greet them; the others remained seated. "My colleagues have discussed your offer at great length, and we have decided to accept, but only on one condition." He glanced back at the others, who one by one nodded for him to continue.

"Tess Harding returned to our world and was not accepted because she was more human than Antaran. For Avandra and Zane to return and be our rulers, they must be more Antaran than human. Obviously, for genetic reasons we wish to keep some of the human genes in them, but they cannot breathe their native atmosphere as they currently exist."

"What would be involved?" Max asked as behind him, both Zane and Ava paled noticeable.

"Genetic re-sequencing," Laric said. "If you wish one of our ships to come here, we can do it en route. I understand the Asgard can do it as well."

"For political reasons it might be best if the Antarans don't sent a ship to Earth yet," Max said. "The battle four years ago is still very fresh on everyone's mind, especially with the fifth anniversary only a few months away. I will ask the Asgard if they will be willing to provide this service for us."

Laric nodded and handed over a USB flash drive. "This holds the information you need to perform the re-sequencing. Done properly, there should be little if any discomfort." To Zane and Ava, he said, "Your physical appearance will be only slightly different—Antarans do not have hair, and so you will loose your hair, brows, pubic and underarm hair, and also your finger and toe nails. However, we will not change any other outward appearances. The people of the Antaran Confederacy are now aware of our genetic programs involving humans, so the idea of the royal family having human DNA will not disturb them."

Max took the offered flash drive. "Thank you, Laric. And the rest. We will come in two Asgard vessels as agreed in three days time. The four of us you see here will be the only ones from this planet to come."

"See to it, Max," Laric advised. "I cannot warn you enough against treachery. The Confederacy population is of mixed emotions regarding Earth. On the one hand, we acknowledge that we violated your space in Kivar's ill-advised invasion. But on the other hand a million of our race perished at your hands. There are many who would cling to any excuse to attack you."

"I understand," Max said.


	58. The New Empire

**Roosterman71**--I agree about Enterprise--they cancelled it just after it got good.

**Darth Tic Tac**--I missed a post on Friday took, so no worries.

**Snowfur**--Thank you. Here it comes!

Authors Note: Also, since I missed a post last week I will be making three posts this week--today, Wednesday and Friday. TIn addition, regarding this chapter please remember this is AU! Darth Krayt was Anakin Solo.

Thank you all for reading!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty Eight: The New Empire**

_Ossus, Auril Sector, 134 ABY (4 Years After the Fall of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances)_

To understand the New Empire, it is necessary to understand the people who founded it.

Fel I, known to friends and family as Jagged, was a nephew of Wedge Antilles and the son of Baron Soontir Fel, a hero of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliance who fought in the Ori and Yuuzhan Vong Wars.

If Jagged Fel was a child of the GFFA, Jaina Solo was a princess. Born to the longest-serving Prime Minister of the Alliance, Leia Organa Skywalker Solo, and General of the Alliance, Han Solo, Jaina, and her brothers Jacen and Anakin, were the closest thing to royalty the GFFA had. Next to their cousin Ben Skywalker, the three Solo children were not only physically attractive; they were all three powerful and dedicated Jedi. The populace loved them.

Then the Vong came.

The Yuuzhan Vong came expecting a weak, decentralized galactic government still reeling from the Ori War. They found a solidly administered government with warships protected by Asgard shields and a fleet of _Eclipse_-class super dreadnaughts each of which was capable of destroying a Vong worldship.

Even the blood-thirstiest Yuuzhan Vong realized combat was not the best answer. Their passage to the galaxy from their own was a one-way trip. They had to find a place for their race at all costs.

So began the first and most important battle of the Yuuzhan Vong war—a battle of disease and misinformation. The Yuuzhan Vong found the one weakness the galaxy still had—the basic distrust inherent in any Federation-style collective of previously independent states. Under the guiding hand of Intendant Nom Anor, the Vong quickly began sowing dissent through the GFFA, while at the same time spreading terrible plagues.

Politically weakened, the GFFA military efforts faltered. The consistency of Alliance victories faltered, and soon ceased as the Vong war machine finally gained ground. The Jedi fought on valiantly, but soon even they lost their support as Anor, learning from the successes of Emperor Palpatine, fabricated report after report of Jedi committing atrocities.

What should have been a fast, lop-sided fight turned into a fiasco for the Alliance.

It was during the height of this war that Jagged Fel realized that the Alliance was not strong enough to fight the invaders on its own.

During this time, Jaina Solo lost her twin brother Jacen to the Vong. Her younger brother, Anakin, having lost his fiancée as well, slowly started to turn to the Dark Side. His experiences stopped Jaina's own descent to the Dark Side as she saw what it did to her brother and parents. In the dawning realization that everything she clung to was not enough, she went looking for more.

Twenty-five years after the Battle of Centerpoint Station that saw the end of the Ori War, she found that something more in Jagged Fel's arms. Ten years after that, with the help of the Chiss Ascendancy and a bevy of disaffected systems of the old Empire, Jagged Fel declared himself Fel I, Emperor. Jaina, his wife, was named the Empress.

It was the last time Jaina Solo Fel saw or spoke to her family.

Rather than declare war on the severely weakened post-war GFFA, however, the two embarked on a campaign of peaceful subversion, luring worlds to their side through public works and generous missions.

The tactic was so successful that it continued under their son's leadership, and into the reign of their grandson, Roan Fel.

Then came Darth Krayt.

Roan Fel knew who the Sith Lord was. As the grandson of Jaina Solo, he knew the whole story of Anakin Solo's fall to the dark side, just like his grandfather and namesake. When the Dark Lord of the Sith began making overtures, Roan at first refused to even meet with him.

Then the Jedi and the GFFA began working with the defeated Vong to terraform battle-scarred worlds.

The Empire was appalled. The Vong had committed acts of evil far surpassing anything even the old Empire ever did, and easily on par with the atrocities committed by the Ori themselves. For the Jedi and the Alliance to team up with the defeated enemies of the galaxy, for any reason, was too much to bear.

At least, that was the official story. Unofficially, Roan Fel deeply disliked his grandmother's old government. He disliked the schizophrenic personalities of the Alliance government, shifting rapidly from warm and friendly to coldly suspicious with each election.

When his great-uncle came and whispered a plan that would finally give the Empire the excuse it needed to wipe the GFFA out, Roan Fel finally overcame his bias against the Sith and agreed to ally the Empire and Sith. It was the worst mistake he ever made, and almost ended his life on several occasions.

Now, four years after the Force reverberated with the death of Darth Krayt, Roan Fel found himself asked to make another questionable alliance.

The audience chamber in which he met with the young Jedi and his own long-lost Imperial Knight was atop the tallest tower of the Imperial Palace and had to be pressurized against the thin atmosphere. Still, the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows looking out over the distant Manarai Mountains of Coruscant was breathtaking.

The Emperor noticed with wry amusement how the young Jedi's eyes seemed to continually be drawn to the breathtaking view.

"So, if I understand correctly, you wish me to loan you a fleet of ships to be towed to this far away galaxy by the Asgard, whom we have not seen in over a century, to fight the Ori, an enemy we have heard nothing of in over a century, and save a primitive planet that can't fight them on its own?"

The Jedi, who even to Roan's discerning eye was striking with her blue hair and brilliant blue eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"And why should I do this?"

The pale, unclothed creature by her side answered for her. "Because the Asgard ask it."

"I see," Emperor Fel said. "The Asgard who supposedly saved my great grandfather during the Ori War."

"Not supposedly," Heimdall said. "I was there, Emperor Fel. I remember quite clearly how the Asgard saved the _Lusankya_ from destruction at the hands of a formation of Ori destroyers. Without Asgard intervention, you would not sit on your throne today. And make no mistake, Emperor. The Ori will not be content with one galaxy. The more followers they have, the greater their power. This is the only galaxy to ever successfully resist their incursions so far. They remember that."

A woman sitting to the Emperor's right, with the same famous Fel streak of white hair running through her long brown locks, leaned forward. "Tell me something, little Asgard. I and all the children of this court were raised on tales of how powerful the mighty Asgard were. If you are indeed so powerful, why do you not save this planet by yourselves?"

Heimdall blinked. "Asgard technology is primarily defensive in nature. During the first war with the Ori in your galaxy, we provided assistance in increasing your shield strength and the efficiency of your hyperspace motivators. However, we were of limited assistance in providing the weapons of destruction needed to defeat the Ori. Those your own people developed. The same is true today. The Asgard are not warriors. We do what we think is right, but we also know our own limitations."

"A surprisingly honest answer," the Emperor said.

Delvin Ostrael stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, Knight Ostrael?" Fel said.

"Your Majesty, if it pleases you, there is another reason for the Empire to assist Earth."

"And what is that?"

"The Imperial star destroyer _Dragon's Claw_ fired a salvo of its heavy guns onto a continent of the planet. Over a billion of their people were killed. Less than a week later, those same people offered shelter and amnesty to the survivors of that same ship. A few months ago, we were even given the opportunity to apply for citizenship with full pardons from this world."

Fel considered this as the two remained silent. Siana surreptitiously snuck a glance at Delvin, who shook his head softly.

"So the Empire, through Darth Krayt's actions, is responsible for killing a billion Earthlings," Fel said. "And I am supposed to feel guilty over this?"

"It is as you please, Majesty," Ostrael said, his head still bowed.

Fel chuckled. "You know me too well, Delvin. Although it shouldn't, that does change the equation in my mind. The fact that one of our ships inflicted such damage, only to be welcomed to that very world, speaks of a remarkable people, regardless of whatever ulterior motives they may have had. I take it they have made extensive use of the _Dragon Claw's_ technology?"

"Absolutely, Majesty," Ostrael said. Though his head was bowed, Siana could see the hint of a smile.

"At ease, Knight," Fel said. He nodded to the many servants also in the room, and everyone stood to leave, except his daughter, Princess Marasiah. "I wish us to speak freely."

Ostrael straightened. "Majesty, how goes the war with the Sith?"

"Costly," the Emperor admitted. "We never knew their true numbers until after Krayt's death. But I swear there were tens of thousands of them. Most are not as powerful as, say, a Jedi, but then there are so many of them their numbers make up for their individual failings. And they managed to gain the support of several Moffs who were instrumental in Krayt's overthrowing of my throne. We are winning, but the cost is very high."

"Could the Jedi not help you, Majesty?" Siana asked.

"They could," Fel said. "But why would they? We almost wiped out their order."

"Perhaps it is something that could be discussed when they arrive," Ostrael suggested.

"Which should be very soon," the Emperor said. "Very soon indeed."

The door into the throne room chimed, and then swung open to reveal a cadre of six red-robed Imperial knights walking three a row with three Jedi in their midst.

Siana sucked in her breath when she recognized their faces. "Master Sazon! Shado, Cade!" She ran to them, ignoring all protocols both Imperial and Jedi alike, and wrapped first Sazen, then Cade Skywalker and then finally Shado Vao in tight hugs.

She stepped back finally from Shado, her eyes moist. The Twi'lek eyed her for a long moment before smiling. "I thought you lost forever, Siana," he whispered. "But now I see you grown and stronger in the Force than ever."

"More than merely strong," Master Wolf Sazen noted. The one-armed Zabrak Jedi studied her closely. "I barely recognized your Force Presence, Padawan."

"Padawan no longer," Siana said. "I completed my training at the hands of Master Kyle Katarn. Together we founded a new chapter of the Order on a planet in the galaxy where I crashed almost five years ago. That planet is why I am here now."

Sazen nodded, but turned his attention to the Emperor. The one-armed Jedi Master stepped forward and bowed. "Emperor Fel. Princess Marasiah Fel. I am Jedi Master Wolf Sazen. May I present Jedi Knights Cade Skywalker and Shado Vao."

At the Emperor's side, Marasiah sat up with interest. "Vao? Are you perchance related to Astraal Vao?"

Shado bowed. "She is my sister, Princess."

"And of course the notable Cade Skywalker," Emperor Fel said, eying the young man with the curly blond hair. "I am told your bravery on Ossus was remarkable and your feats since then openly astounding. Even the Sith remarked on it."

Cade Skywalker was unable to keep his face completely still. "Such bravery should not have been necessary," he said. "The Jedi were no threat to the Empire."

Fel's lips thinned. "Perhaps, Cousin. Certainly the Empire came to regret our alliance with the Sith, since Darth Krayt killed my security double and tried to take my throne immediately after Ossus." He stood from his throne and motioned to a set of wide double-doors to the side of the room. "But that is not why we are here. Please, join me for a mid-day meal and we will discuss our situation further."

The rumors were true. The Jedi were on Coruscant.

The Lethan Twi'lek shrugged the serving uniform tighter and pulled up the silken sleeves over her lekku. It was necessary that nearly every centimeter of her heavily tattooed skin be concealed. Her face was covered in a crimson cream that also effectively hid her many tattoos. The marks were more than just decoration—they were earned in combat and marked her as Sith.

More than Sith. She was Darth Talon. When she and all the other Sith felt the death of Darth Krayt through the Force, she was now among the five most powerful of the Dark Lords.

However, for the past three months, she was a low level food server within the Imperial Palace. Behind her, the rest of the preparers also very carefully hid their tattoos and hid their Force presence. These had only been in the palace for a month, but it was enough. The arrival of the Jedi did not change Talon's plans—it merely sweetened it. Fel and his brat had to die for betraying the Sith.

With the Emperor's death, it would be a small matter for the rest of the Empire to fall.

"Be ready," Talon hissed to the others.

The three visiting Jedi sat on one side of the small square table while Emperor Fel and the Princess sat on the other. Joining the royal family was the leader of the Imperial Knights, Antares Draco—a dark-countenanced young man who viewed the Jedi with open contempt.

Sitting at the third side of the table was Siana Delun and Delvin Ostrael with Heimdall between them. By unspoken assent, each sat nearer the other side of the table. Hence Siana actually sat next to Draco, while Ostrael sat next to Cade Skywalker.

"The Jedi Order has been decimated to levels we have not seen since the last Jedi Purge," Wolf Sazen said first. "There are fewer than a hundred knights and masters alive, plus only a handful of padawans."

"No thanks to those present," Cade Skywalker said.

Princess Marasiah bristled as Sazon rested his sole hand on Cade's. "Not even Jedi are immune from strong feelings," the Jedi Master said by way of apology. "However, we are here. You have received us in peace, Emperor, and our numbers are no longer hunted by your forces. For this, we thank you."

Fel nodded imperiously. "Surely you must know, Master Sazen, that at this point it would be a simple matter to wipe the Jedi out. We have actually defended Ruusan twice from Sith incursions. If I wanted you dead, the Sith and defected Imperial elements would be happy to make it so."

"I understand, Emperor Fel," Sazen said calmly. The Zabrak Jedi pulled a strand of black hair back from his face. "You asked that we come, and we have done so. We have found one of our lost brethren in your presence, and we are truly grateful. Now, Emperor, I must ask what it is you want of the Jedi?"

Fel looked to Siana. "It is not what I want, Master Jedi, but what this young knight wants. She has asked for several Imperial ships to help a world many galaxies away in their battle with the Ori. She tells me the Jedi would be helpful to her as well."

The three Jedi turned and stared at Siana. "The Ori?" Sazen asked.

"They have invaded the galaxy where my shuttle crashed," Siana said. "The Asgard are helping my adopted world just as they helped our galaxy a century ago, but Earth is still very primitive compared to us. They need help. Master Katarn sent me back to this galaxy to ask for that help."

"I met Master Katarn only once," Wolf said. "On the day of your birth he came and placed his hand on your forehead, swearing to protect you."

"He did so, Master. And more. There is a small group of Jedi on Earth that Master Katarn and I have been training. But they are so few, and the Ori are so powerful…"

Wolf nodded and returned his gaze to Fel. "May I ask, Emperor Fel, if you will accede to her request?"

"I have yet to decide," Fel admitted. "Although we have peace now with the Federation remnant, the war with the Sith continues and has proven challenging. We need our ships."

Cade looked at Antares. "And what of your Imperial Knights?"

The knight bristled. "We serve the Emperor as we always have!"

"In what numbers, Knight?"

"My knights have also suffered losses," Emperor Fel admitted.

Wolf cleared his throat and sent a warning glance at Cade. "Emperor Fel, for Master Katarn, the most powerful of the Jedi, to request aid of you is proof of his desperate need. However, this is a desperate time for the Jedi as well. The darkness in this galaxy cannot go unchallenged."

Siana felt her heart sink. No Jedi would be coming.

"What are your thoughts, Master Jedi?" Fel said.

"The Jedi cannot join her battle in another galaxy," Wolf continued. "But we can join in this one. If you are willing to pledge at least four destroyers to her cause, then the Jedi Order will formally ally itself with the Empire in its fight against the Sith."

"Ally itself?" Draco said. "You will pledge allegiance to His Imperial Majesty or you will continue to be shunned!"

"That is my decision," Fel said softly.

Instantly, Antares Draco nodded and bowed before falling quiet. He continued to glare at Cade Skywalker, who returned the glare with equal enmity.

"You must understand that we cannot pledge allegiance to you," Wolf explained. "The Jedi must be allowed to follow the will of the Force. But in fighting against the Sith, there is but one course of action. We will fight with your forces. All we ask is freedom, Majesty, to be Jedi. To recruit and train padawans. To be what the Force requires us to be."

"An interesting offer, Master Jedi," Emperor Fel said. He turned to Siana. "And what will four destroyers do for you, young Jedi?"

"They will help defend an entire galaxy against a race of dark gods," she said.

"It will also engender the goodwill of the Asgard," Heimdall said, speaking for the first time since they took their seats. "Your new destroyers are significantly more powerful than the ships that last faced the Ori. That alone may provide a sufficient difference. The Ori are not sweeping through the galaxy in the numbers your people saw during your war with them. Like the Force in this galaxy, the galaxy of Earth has its own higher powers that, while unable to completely stop the Ori, are acting in ways to perhaps limit their activities to a certain level. What we need now are champions to lead the fight."

Fel nodded and took a long moment to look first at his daughter, then his highest Imperial knight. "I shall consider your proposal, Master Sazen, and give you an answer within twenty-four hours. Until such time, I invite you to be my guests here, where you will be accorded every pleasure." He pushed an invisible button on the table top. "In the meantime, let us eat."

By chance, everyone at the table except Heimdall was Force sensitive. Roan Fel, as a direct descendant of Jaina Solo, was a fully trained Imperial Knight, as was his daughter.

Hence, everyone felt the sudden disturbance in the Force moments before the door to the kitchen and the entire wall surrounding it exploded inward. From the smoke sprang a lithe, red-skinned Twi'lek with feral yellow eyes and a red lightsaber flashing down with deadly accuracy at Draco.

The Imperial knight responded with Force-borne speed and rolled away just as a dozen more Sith jumped through. "Defend yourselves!" Fel roared as he activated his own lightsaber.

Two of the Sith slipped past the Emperor's own blade and descended on the princess. Marasiah Fel had her own silver lightsaber ready and defended herself with skill and the Force, but found herself pushed back against a corner as the two Sith, also skilled, beat at her defenses.

Suddenly Cade Skywalker was there, his blue lightsaber flashing with blinding speed. He quickly killed one of the two assailants. The princess cried as a saber flashed across her side before Cade killed the second Sith as well.

A Chalactian Sith raised a hand and shot Force-lighting from his fingers directly at Sazen and Skywalker. Siana leapt to the top of the table and intercepted it. To the shock of all those watching, she absorbed the lighting in one hand and shot it back to the Sith with the other. The Chalactian fell backward in surprise.

"You think to challenge me, whelp!" Darth Talon roared. She flew across the room directly at Siana, her saber reared back.

Siana held out both hands and unleashed Antaran-enhanced Force lightning.

Talon screamed as the piercing white lightning filled the room and shot the Sith against the far wall. The other Sith and even the Jedi and Imperials stopped their fight to watch as Siana displayed power never seen before in either order.

At last the lightning ended. "You were saying?" Siana asked in the ringing silence that followed.

Talon slowly picked herself up from the floor, her body steaming and her muscles twitching. "Pretty lights," she whispered. "How are you with a sword?"

"Come and find out," Siana said.

Talon launched herself into an attack. The Twi'lek's body had just been ravaged by a power that could kill Ori Priors. Her muscles were drained by the electrical charge of Siana's power, and her mind was disoriented from the current that moments before flowed through it. Talon attacked because attack was all she knew. She died because she had already been defeated and simply was unable to recognize it.

The death of their leader had an immediate effect on the remaining Sith, who fought only because the Emperor allowed no quarter for them. Despite being eight now against six, the remaining Sith easily perished.

In the quiet aftermath, Sazen turned to Siana. "Such power!"

"Master Katarn taught me _Vaapad_," she explained. "And the rest…is hard to explain. The Jedi of Earth are not like the Jedi of this galaxy. And we will need that extra power against the foes we face."

The Emperor hooked his lightsaber on his belt and saw first his Imperial Knight standing over the body of a slain Sith, and then Cade Skywalker standing over two dead Sith while supporting his wounded daughter. Then he looked at Wolf Sazen, whose eyes showed he too had noticed.

"Master Sazen, Knight Delun," the Emperor said, "I agree to your proposal. You will have your ships. And the Empire will gladly accept the assistance of the Jedi Order."


	59. From The Forge

**new age experiment**--Thank you, they will be coming soon!

**Snowfur**--They were shocked. More so because of how the Antaran wave has increased her abilities so much. Without that, the Jedi of Earth would be royally SOL.

**Azral**--Thank you so much, I appreciate you saying that!

**Roosterman71**--You got it! The Antaran wave has essentially created hybrid, uber-Jedi.

**divad relffehs**--1) The primary tsunami was caused by the shifting of the Indian tectonic plate. The Atlantic tsunamis were caused by the planet-wide increase in sympathetic tectonic activity caused by the shifting of that plate. That said, I'm an English major, so I'm just going by what I've read. I humbly beg forgiveness of any scientific inaccuracies 2) I'm halfway through the NJO with _Conquest_ and there was a great deal of concern about Anakin falling to the Dark Side. Given that all their experiences were different (since this is AU from the start) it's as possible as Jacen becoming a Sith Lord. Also, I wrote this BEFORE we knew who Darth Krayt really was. At the time the speculation was that it was Jacen, and I simply wanted it to be a surprise. 3) I think you're right there. They were weakening themselves with that silly rule. 4) I honestly can't remember if this was a one-time oversight on my part, or if she just didn't change her name. I know many women who don't. I appreciate all your reviews and comments! I also have a forum dedicated to Heaven Falls if you'd like to discuss in more depth.

I haven't had this many reviews in a long time. I appreciate all of you reading! Also, as promised, since I skipped a post last week, here's the second of 3 posts this week!

* * *

**Chapter Fifty Nine: From The Forge**

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Tuesday, November 7, 2006 (4 CE), 4:28 p.m. MT_

Daniel Jackson somersaulted over Isabel with a flash of his green saber that simultaneously blocked hers and forced her back. He landed with a nimble bounce and held out a hand for a powerful Force-push.

Isabel held up her own arm and pushed back, causing the practice mats around her to flip through the air under the power of Daniel's deflected blow. She thrust her saber forward while at the same time pulling a picture from the wall behind Daniel.

Daniel spun around, side-stepped the thrust while avoiding the portrait of President Hayes, grabbed her wrist as she reached the apex of her over-extension, and then flipped her squarely on her back.

Isabel quickly rolled to her feet, her face flushed. "Wow," she said. Nearby, Master Katarn leaned against a wall, his arms crossed.

"That was impressive, Daniel," Katarn admitted. "What were they doing to you while you were in the Ori galaxy?"

"Not a whole lot," Daniel said. "I remember having to pee quite a bit, but then again I was very pregnant." He deactivated his blade, and then following the sparring protocol instilled in them by Katarn, he bowed to Isabel, who returned the bow with a tight grin.

"Two months and you're already beating me, and I've been training for four years," she said.

"I had a slight head start," Daniel said. "Even civilians at the SGC had to learn hand-to-hand combat. I wasn't the best, but I had to know how to fight."

"You also have a very natural connection to the Force," Katarn noted. "Now all we need to do is shoot you and have Max heal you to get the Antaran wave going, and you'll be as good as any of us."

"Thank you, I'll pass," Daniel said. The three of them stepped out of the sparring room into a wide hallway in the dome that served as the Jedi training center at Ruby Valley. In the far corridor, they could see Dana Scully Mulder and Initiate John Shepherd sparring under the watchful scowl of Michael Guerin. Next to them Isobel Stevens sparred playfully with her daughter Hanna with harmless training sabers. Well, almost playfully. Hanna was beating her mom regularly.

"How is Shepherd doing?" Daniel asked.

"Liz refused to work with him," Kyle said. "He kept hitting on her. With Michael, though, he seems to be doing better. Especially with Dana crushing him in every sparring match."

Though a decade older than the young major, Dana Scully Mulder, due in part to the Antaran energy wave imparted to her during one of her abductions, had an affinity to the Force almost as strong as Daniel, and excelled.

"So Liz is training the children?" Daniel asked.

"She's following a similar training schedule as the Jedi Academy at Ossus followed with its younglings," Kyle said. "She's doing quite well with Zan. Claudia and Mini-me are still a bit young." 'Mini-me' referred to the young Kyle Evans.

"I think that's enough sparring for today," the Jedi Master decided suddenly. "I have an interesting meeting this afternoon. Daniel, I understand you have some work to finish up in Cheyenne Mountain. Isabel, I'm sure Michael could use your help with Dana and John."

"Dana and I will endeavor to continue to crush Shepherd's ego," she said with a bright smile.

* * *

_T'khasi, November 1, 2006 (4 CE) Earth Time_

The prior walked out of the Forge toward the city of ShirKahr on a typical day in the High Summer season.

The Vuhlkanu at first mistook the strange figure that walked in over the shimmering desert heat as one of their own. Although the Vuhlkanu had dealings with many other species, those different species did not generally visit their home planet.

Further, those aliens who did sojourn to T'khasi did not travel to the Forge. With the exception of those youth enduring their _kahs-wan_ ritual, no one traveled the Forge lightly.

Yet here came the stranger, without water or any other sustenance. In one hand he carried a large staff topped with a sizable clear crystal; in the other a leather-bound book held against his side. As he approached the city, one of the city's junior administrators, a young man named Solkar, happened to notice the stranger as he was walking home from his tasks.

Solkar first noticed the otherworldly complexion of the stranger, and then the eyes, which were milky white. This did not appear to be a creature born and bred under the T'khasi sun.

The stranger stopped in the middle of the street and simply stood as if waiting.

Solkar, although young (he was only fifty-eight human years of age) felt a sense of duty to speak with the stranger as a junior city administrator. He stepped across the otherwise empty street and bowed. "Greetings," he said in Vuhlkanu. "How may I help you?"

The figure smiled. "It is I, Solkar of Vuhlkanu, who has come to help you. I bring great news for you and all your people. The Ori have returned to this galaxy, and bring with them the Path of Origin. Those who follow the Path of Origin shall find eternal salvation and become one with the Ori."

A Vuhlkanu brow shot up. "While this is most certainly pleasant news," Solkar said, "I am but a junior administrator of this city. Perhaps I may escort you to a more senior official?"

"You may, Solkar of Vuhlkanu," the Prior said.

The senior administrator of ShirKahr was no more excited about the "great news" the prior brought than Solkar was. She sat behind a plain desk lined with sha'shei paper scrolls and a large computer terminal. She looked up with a raised brow as Solkar and the prior walked in.

"Solkar, what is this?" T'Prain asked mildly.

"This being states he has brought a path to us regarding our origin," Solkar said.

The prior said nothing regarding the Vuhlkanu's humorous and quite intentional mangling of his message. The Priors had heard much of Vulcan humor from the Romulans.

"We are well aware of our origins, but I thank you for your visit," T'Prain said politely.

The Ori slammed his staff against the floor. The senior administrator's desk shattered into a million shards of cyndus wood that flew like projectiles into opposite walls, some embedding themselves several centimeters into the concrete walls themselves.

T'Prain stood up, her mouth agape.

"I bring news of great importance for all the Vuhlkanu," the Prior said. "The Ori are coming to this galaxy. Those who follow the Path of Origin shall be shown favor and blessings from the Ori, their Gods. Those who choose not to follow the Path shall be destroyed."

He slammed his staff against the floor again, and the millions of shards of the desk suddenly rushed back together, reforming before the surprised eyes of the two administrators. The walls remained peppered with holes. When the desk was once again intact, the prior placed a leather-bound book in the center of the now empty desk.

"Read the _Book of Origin_. Spread its message to others of your kind. I shall return in one week. If in that time you wish to walk the Path, you shall be embraced by the Ori as lost children come home."

"And if we do not?" T'Prain asked the obvious question.

"Those who do not follow the Path of Origin must be destroyed."

The next day, T'Prain, accompanied by Solkar, stood before the Vuhlkanu High Command. High Administrator V'Lor sat behind the raised desk next to Minister of Security, Rantik. The other ministers sat in silence, watching.

"You have read this book?" V'Lor asked when the two city officials were brought before the council.

"I have, Administrator," T'Prain said. "It was surprisingly written in the common tongue. It is a collection of religious parables espousing the greatness of the Ori and warning against abandoning faith in, or the teachings of, these Ori."

Rantik leaned forward eagerly. "And you say that this creature destroyed your desk, and then reassembled it?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Could this not have been an illusion or some form of telepathic suggestion?"

"I took the liberty of having it tested with a micronometer against that very possibility. The desk showed signs of disruption on a molecular level, as if some of the molecules had been ripped apart and then forced back together again. The result was a polarizing effect within the grains of the wood themselves. The results of this test are in my report to High Command. There is also, of course, the damage to my walls." Like those around her, T'Prain spoke without emotion, her face expressionless.

V'Lor leaned back and looked at the others before nodding. "T'Prain, we have heard of these creatures, we believe. The entire Klingon Empire was recently destroyed by them."

For the first time, T'Prain could not contain her surprise. "The whole empire?"

"As far as we know, the Klingons are extinct. We believe the Romulans have capitulated rather than face a similar fate."

T'Prain turned to study Solkar for a moment before she returned her attention to the High Command. "Is there any course of action available, Ministers?"

"We walk the Path of Origin," V'Lor said. "Is it not logical for us to bow before foreign gods rather than face the extermination of our race? If the Klingons could not fight these Ori and the Romulans would not, then what hope do we have?"

When they left the High Command an hour later and walked together toward the air car that had brought them to the capital city, T'Prain said softly, "Is it logical to abandon all hope?"

She glanced at her companion as he piloted the car off the High Command landing pad. "You have thoughts on this, Solkar?"

"Administrator, I have a thought, but I am unsure if it is appropriate to voice."

"You may do so."

"You know I recently performed the _koon-ut-kal-if-fee_ with T'Mir."

"And a satisfactory ceremony it was," T'Prain said. "She is a worthy addition to your House and brought honor to your family."

"She told me something in confidence, Administrator. I am unsure if I should share it with you."

"Speak."

"You know that the humans of Earth have recently experienced an unprecedented increase in their technological achievements."

T'Prain nodded. "I understand the High Command has discussed a First Contact since they appear to have surpassed Warp speeds on their own."

Solkar nodded and gripped the steering column in an unusual show of nervousness. "Administrator, T'Mir once mentioned that there may be a Vuhlkanu on Earth, one that we could contact if necessary. My thought is that if these humans have achieved such a great technological advance, perhaps it might behoove us to contact them through this man on their planet, to see if they could render any assistance."

It had been many years since T'Mir was involved in space exploration. This agent obviously had been on Earth for some time. Since High Command did not now, nor had it ever, endorsed direct interaction with less advanced species, the only logical conclusion T'Prain could make was... "The High Command does not know this, do they?"

"They do not, Administrator."

T'Prain nodded. "Matters of planetary defense are well beyond my responsibility or expertise," she said. "But as a Vuhlkanu, it is difficult for me to accept a faith being forced upon me." She closed her eyes as if in meditation. "Speak to your Honored Wife, Solkar. See if she can indeed contact this man on Earth. But tell no other."

"It shall be done, Administrator," Solkar said.

Five days and 18 light years later, as his wife lay dying peacefully, Mestral Roykirk's sensitive ears detected a sonic pulse just beyond the hearing range of humans. "What is it, Mestral?" Maggie Roykirk asked, her voice breathless but her eyes keen.

"Something I thought never to hear again." He patted her hand. "I will return shortly."

He left their bedroom, crossed the living room and reached his small office. The office contained a library of books on subjects ranging from physics to flora and fauna, with a computer that had been rebuilt into something many decades more advanced than most computers on Earth.

He opened the small closet and removed a cardboard box from the top shelf. He opened the cardboard box to expose within it a smaller box of a grayish metal that the planet had never seen. He placed his hand on this box and it sprang open to reveal a folded robe of Vulcan cloth, and his communicator.

The communicator's signal light was flashing. He answered. "Hello?" he said, speaking English without thinking such an act through. After more than forty years among humans, even Vuhlkanu developed certain habits.

More surprising, though, was that the voice answered in English as well. "Mestral," a woman's voice said. "It is T'Mir."

"That would be my first assumption," Mestral said.

"Something has happened here on T'khasi. We have few options available to us. On behalf of all the Vuhlkanu, we must ask you to reveal yourself to the humans. And ask for their help. We are being invaded by a race called Ori."

"My wife is dying, T'Mir."

There was a long pause on the other side. "You married that human woman." It was neither question nor condemnation, merely a clarification.

"I did."

"They are short lived."

"Far too short."

"I grieve for you, my friend," T'Mir said. "Can you help us?"

"Do you remember Jack?"

"I do."

"He used the money you gave him to earn many degrees. He is a high ranking scientist in the new Earth government. I will ask him for help when he comes to see his mother."

"Thank you, Mestral." The line was silent again. Then, "Were you content with the choices you made?"

"More than content, T'Mir. I gave her peace. She gave me happiness. Happiness is something more Vuhlkanu could use."

"Perhaps. Live long and prosper, Mestral."

"Peace, and long life," Mestral said.

The communicator light flashed off.

Two days later, Mestral sat in the passenger seat of a United Earth Commonwealth hovercar traveling at supersonic speeds across the United States desert toward Nevada. Next to him sat Jackson Roykirk, his stepson. Jackson looked several years older than Mestral did.

"I have set up a meeting with UEC Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill, Doctor Samantha O'Neill, and the UEC Special Investigations Unit Director Kyle Katarn." He smiled at his step-father. "You and Katarn might actually get along. He's not from Earth either."

Mestral could not stop his right brow from rising. "An extra-terrestrial in a position of authority?"

"Kyle is the one who stopped the invasion on Doomsday," Jackson explained. "He is from another galaxy and is forming a corps of what he calls Jedi Knights, an order from his old galaxy. Jedi were instrumental in stopping Green's War a few months ago, and from what I understand he has been personally involved with trying to slow the Ori advances."

"Then it is good I was able to tell you of my people's needs," Mestral said.

"An overwhelming and unlikely coincidence," Jackson said. "Although Kyle would probably say the Force led me to where I am."

"Or your background and education," Mestral said. "Keep in mind that I aided your studies on many occasions. Is it so remarkable that you would be who you are?"

Jackson grinned as he remembered many similar conversations with his step-father. "Maybe not."

They arrived at Ruby Valley a few hours before sundown. There was a very light sprinkling of snow on the ground as they climbed out, still more proof of the climate change the planet experienced after Doomsday. Still, a cumulative drop of 3 degrees and an expansion of the polar ice caps was better than the complete destruction of the planet.

The two men walked to the central tower after passing through several security checkpoints, and traveled up a remarkably fast elevator until they arrived at what appeared to be a command station.

"Jackson!" a friendly voice called as they stepped onto the floor.

An attractive blonde woman in her forties with a friendly smile approached them. She wore slacks and a tan colored blouse with a security badge hanging from her belt.

"Sam!" Jackson said.

"I was so sorry to hear about your mother."

"Thank you."

She took one look at Mestral. "And lo and behold, your step father really is an alien. You are Mestral?"

Mestral nodded and held out his hand in the human custom that took him nearly two decades to become comfortable with. The doctor took his hand in a firm grip. "Samantha O'Neill. I'm the director of the Ruby Valley Relocation Program and am in charge of most of our research. I've worked closely with Jackson for four years now."

"It is an honor to meet you, Dr. O'Neill."

"My Jack is waiting with Master Katarn," she said. "Let's go."

She led them across a floor of maps, stellar charts and a wall-sized, detailed map of the Earth itself. Mestral observed it with his old space-farer's eyes and was surprised by the sophistication of the charts and projection systems. At least two of them appeared to be true holographic projections even more advanced than what his own people could produce.

Finally, they arrived at a small conference room. Two men sat inside talking quietly and stood when they arrived. Both appeared to be in their late fifties, both were clean shaven with graying hair, although one was more gray than the other.

The thinner, grayer man stepped forward and offered a hand. "Mestral Roykirk. Admiral Jack O'Neill."

Mestral took the offered hand and forced his best smile. The other man in the room studied Mestral for a moment, and Mestral returned the frank examination. This other man was heavier set with a muscular build and a face that seemed to speak of many more years of experience than most humans could claim. Rather than offer a hand, this man bowed. "I am Kyle Katarn."

"Master Katarn is a Jedi Master from a galaxy far, far away from our own," Jackson explained to his step father by way of formal introduction. "He came four years ago, and since that time has been instrumental in the protection of our planet."

"It is an honor to meet you," Mestral said, returning the bow.

They all sat.

"First off, for security I have to ask a few questions so we can get your citizenship straightened out," Dr. O'Neill said. "What is the name of your race?"

"Vuhlkanu."

"What is your point of origin?"

"Our planet is called T'khasi."

"Your age?"

"By your reckoning I am one hundred twenty-two years old."

Sam nodded. Her husband Jack raised a brow in a startlingly Vuhlkanu-like expression. "You look good. Katarn here is a hundred and fifty."

"Biologically I'm sixty two," Kyle said. "I cheated."

"I see," Mestral lied.

"How did you arrive on Earth?" Sam continued.

"I was part of a survey vessel studying the launch of your first satellite in 1957. We experienced a malfunction and crashed."

"We?"

"The ship had a crew of five. The captain and one other died. The three of us who survived attempted to remain in Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, until a rescue ship could come. When it came, my two comrades left. I did not."

"Why is that?"

Mestral looked at Jackson. "My mother, I suppose," Jackson said.

"Okay, that's the easy part," the admiral said. "Now tell us about this call you got. We haven't figured out how you could receive a message from 15 light years away without us detecting it."

"The message came through a subspace relay," Mestral said.

"Told you," Dr. O'Neill said smugly to Admiral O'Neill. "You have to make the coffee tomorrow."

Looking at the two, Mestral had no doubt they were married.

She looked back at Mestral. "We're aware of subspace communications, but we haven't mastered it quite yet, nor are we very good at detecting it."

Kyle cleared his throat. The banter stopped. Mestral quickly surmised that while the O'Neills were very important people, even they looked upon this non-terrestrial human as being even more so.

"Can we speak to your people?" Katarn asked.

Mestral removed his small communicator. "This does not have the power to reach my world. It can receive their signals, but they must establish the communication."

"We can supply you with all the power you need," Katarn said.

"Then yes, you could."

"Would you be able to signal an authority on your world?"

"I know the High Command frequency, yes."

"Then let's get started. I want to speak to your government before we go charging in with guns blazing."

"That is quite logical," Mestral agreed.


	60. Antar Unbound

**divad relffehs**--never fear, I will be posting this story pretty consistently. Twice a week, Mondays and Fridays if I can. This week was unique in that I did three posts, since I missed one last week. Blue Sun Down I will post one a week. I'm glad you're enjoying!

**Snowfur**--They're just getting started.

**Darth Tic Tac**--I like the Vulcan's myself.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you, I'm glad that section worked. And I'm able to post so quickly because the whole story is actually finished. I'd post faster, but I'm afraid I wouldn't give people enough time to keep up.

Thank you all for reading and for the reviews! This next chapter is not long, but it's important to wrap up this subplot and set the stage for the upcoming war.

* * *

**Chapter Sixty: Antar Unbound**

_Asgard Mothership Valhalla, November 10, 2006 (4 CE)_

The two aliens stared at each other in fascination. They lifted their hands before their eyes, studying them as if they belonged to someone else, and then with those same hands touched each other's faces. They stood naked and alone in a brilliantly white, unadorned chamber.

Almost instinctively their hands dropped from cheeks to breasts and pectoral muscles, before falling to their sides. "I miss your hair," Zane Peters said softly. "It was very beautiful."

"I miss yours too," she said. "Do you think I look ugly now?"

Zane's eyes traveled down her body, absorbing it in its entirety. Without body hair she looked somehow younger, like a baby. However, there were shadows in her eyes that spoke of pain and hard experience, and the very mature swelling of her body dispelled the illusion of childhood. "I think you look beautiful," he said in absolute honesty.

"You're beautiful too," she whispered. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her body against his. "You don't know me yet. But I promise you that I love you. I've always loved you. I've lost you twice. Once on Antar. Once in New York. I would rather die than lose you again."

"You're wrong about one thing," he said as he held her cheek in his hand and leaned down to gently kiss her. "I do know you. Don't ask me how. But I know you."

"It appears they will have little trouble adjusting to each other's altered appearance," Thor noted.

The Asgard stood with Max and Tess in the observation room outside the chamber. Zane and Ava entered the chamber as humans breathing an Earth standard atmosphere. Now, though roughly human in appearance, they were breathing the dense methane-based atmosphere of Antar.

"That was supposed to be us," Tess said wistfully.

"I trust you never engaged in sexual activities in front of others," Thor said. The Asgard actually sounded…prudish?

Tess looked again, then suddenly spun around, staring at the far wall with furiously blushing cheeks as she covered her mouth. "Max, are they really?"

"Can't tell yet," Max said, craning on the tips of his toes. "Ohh, they moved. Yes. Yes they are."

"Oh my God. Don't they know we're out here?"

"I'm not sure they care," Max said. He turned and looked at Tess. "If I remember, when the drive finally hit, it was pretty overwhelming."

She nodded, remembering their one night together. It _was_ overwhelming. If only… No, Tess shook her head. Max had Liz. He deserved Liz, and Liz deserved him. She chose to crush the jealousy down. Instead, she turned to Thor, who was watching the show in the Metamorphosis Room with clinical detachment.

"That appears to be very uncomfortable," Thor said. "Their expressions seem to indicate pain."

"It's hard to describe," Max said. "I don't think they're suffering too much."

Suddenly a deep, booming claxon reverberated through the ship. Thor blinked at the two Jedi and then with a flash of white light, all three stood on the command bridge.

In the wide, narrow window at the head of the room, they saw two massive Antaran ships, each over a mile in diameter and looking like white versions of the _Independence Day_ giant flying saucers. Max felt a ripple in the Force. "Thor, raise your shields!"

Immediately, the white bands of light that ran the diameter of the ships sparkled and two thick beams of energy shot out to slam against the hastily raised shields of Thor's ship. "Those do not appear to be allies," Thor noted dryly. "Our shields have been weakened."

"Where's the _Bifrost_?"

Just as Max asked the second Asgard mother ship emerged from hyperspace almost on top of the larger Antaran ships and immediately lashed out with white pulses of destructive energy. The first Antaran mother ship physically buckled and flew off its original course under the barrage. The second merely returned fire on the _Bifrost_.

Suddenly four more Antaran mother ships emerged from hyperspace and immediately started firing on the first two. "Those are our allies," Max said with certainty.

"Agreed," Thor said. The _Valhalla_ began firing, as did the _Bifrost_. Soon, both the attacking Antaran ships were completely disabled. The whole window blinked and Max found himself staring at an alien not so very different in appearance than Thor. Its head was not as large; its eyes not so disproportionately huge. Its body was more muscular with more of a definitive skin tone and over all it appeared larger, but there was undoubtedly a resemblance. Of course, it was also wearing clothes.

In the Force, though, the figure felt very familiar. "Laric," Max said.

"It is odd you would recognize me," the creature said. It spoke English with a high, reedy voice and neutral accent completely at odds with the Welsh lilt Max had always heard from Brody.

"You felt familiar to me. Was Kivar on one of those ships?"

"We should be so lucky," Laric said. "But the fact he ordered them to fire on you both marks his desperation, and solidifies our position. I am glad you are safe. Where is the royal couple?"

"Coupling," Tess said before covering her mouth again with another embarrassed flush.

Max glared a moment to try and hide his own smile. "They've undergone the metamorphosis and are in a contained environment."

Laric nodded. "All things considered, it may be better if they were to travel on board with us."

Thor turned and looked at Max, blinking. Max searched his feelings, and then when his paranoia and distrust got in the way, he searched the Force. He could sense no deception or danger.

Since the plan was to leave Zane and Ava on Antar for the rest of their lives, there was little point in trying to shield them. "I believe that is a good idea. I'll speak to them. In the meantime, what should we do about the attacking ships?"

Laric did not have a chance to answer. The problem of the disabled ships was solved for them when a bolt of brilliant white light flashed completely through the bulging center of the saucer of one of the ships. The mile-wide craft exploded with nuclear brilliance. A second later, the second disabled ship died with an equally spectacular explosion.

"The Ori!" Thor warned. Laric's face dissolved before a blur of stars that settled on two of the massive Ori battleships sweeping toward them. This was Max's first time facing these ships, and the Force surged with a warning of danger.

Thor became perfectly still as his mind integrated fully with the computer of his ship, while simultaneously coordinating with the _Bifrost_ and communicating with the Antarans.

The six ships scattered in separate directions as the two Ori battle ships gave chase. Both ships settled into the space behind Thor.

"They must sense Tess and me," Max said.

"That is possible," Thor said. "However, their tactics will serve our purpose."

Coming up behind the two Ori ships, the _Bifrost_ launched four torpedoes. The torpedoes were unlike standard Asgard construction and consisted of actual metallic parts. However, the warhead on each of the torpedoes was as advanced as anything the Asgard could produce. They were actually a product of a galaxy on the other side of the Universe, designed originally to destroy stars.

The two resonance torpedoes split into two pairs and slammed into the shields of the Ori battleships. The shields glowed a bright blue that scintillated rapidly into a white color, and then faded.

"I have informed the Antaran ships that the Ori's shields are down."

The four Antaran motherships swept in around the _Bifrost_ and began firing. They concentrated fire on one of the two ships, and Max watched from Thor's bridge as the Ori ship's blue sphere of energy that took up the center of the ship's ring-like construction dissipated. The ship seemed to lose all power and float free in space before another blast of Antaran energy destroyed it.

The second Ori ship spun around suddenly on its axis with speed that should have been beyond the capabilities of even the laws of physics for a ship of that size. While continuing to fly backward, the Ori battle ship fired its main weapon into one of the Antaran motherships.

The mothership's shields glowed white a moment. While the other Antaran ships fired, the Ori fired a second shot that ripped through the crippled Antaran mothership's shields and shredded the mile-long body in a brilliant explosion.

A moment later the _Bifrost_ and three remaining Antaran vessels unleashed their full arsenals, and the remaining Ori ship exploded. All ships gradually slowed but did not waste the energy to stop. Rather they adjusted their courses for the Antaran confederacy.

On the _Valhalla,_ the screen flickered and Laric looked at them all. "That was Sarin's ship. She was a queen of her world in her own right. She will be sorely missed."

Max nodded and stepped toward the screen. "Laric, do you begin to see why we must fight together? The Ori must have sensed this meeting and feared our alliance. We must fight together if any of us are to survive."

"I agree," Laric said. "And I promise you, Kivar will be made to agree as we kick him out of Zan's throne."


	61. The Declaration

**Beth Weasley**--Beth, nice to hear from you again! Yes, it was a short battle, but then again the Asgard and Antarans are two of the most advanced species in the Galaxy, so it's appropriate they can hold their own.

**Snowfur**--They got it, and it will continue!

**Roosterman71**--;). Tess/Ava were never very popular characters on Roswell, but I thought they were important and well done. I'm glad the scene worked for you!

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-One: The Declaration**

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Monday, November 13, 2006 (4 CE), 10:21 a.m. MT_

Isabel did not mean to overhear the conversation. But when someone hears their own voice coming from another's mouth, it will give even the most respectful person pause. So Isabel paused as she overheard Michael and her older clone Izzie Stevens talking just inside the door of sparring room 3.

"You really kidnapped her?" Izzie asked.

"I stole her car, and she refused to get out. I wasn't keeping her," Michael explained. Isabel smiled as she remembered Michael's insane attempt to get to Texas and find yet another clue to their existence five years before. It was the first time he and Maria spent any time together, and was the start of their fiery relationship.

"And she dated you even after that?"

"What can I say, I'm irresistible," Michael said.

A long silence followed. "My brother used to say that," she whispered.

"He wasn't your brother," Michael said without emotion. There was no sympathy, nor any judgment. It was a cold statement of fact. "He was your husband, and you were both genetically engineered to love each other. He really was irresistible to you, Izzie. Earth's screwed up morality and your circumstances ruined it, but what happened was not your fault—neither having the baby, nor what happened afterward."

"If it had been you, what would you have done?"

"Probably kidnapped you," Michael said.

"And you said Maria has the wave and the Ancient gene?"

"She does."

"Will she come here?"

"I don't know," Michael said, a note of sadness in his voice.

Isabel frowned at Michael's pain, but she continued on her way to the next training room. She found Daniel Jackson inside, his legs crossed lotus position, his body floating a meter off the mats.

He opened his eyes when she entered but did not change position. "Did you enjoy their talk?" he asked.

Isabel had the modesty to flush. "I didn't mean to."

Daniel nodded. "I know. I overheard a bit myself through the Force. They're very large obstacles in the Force to get around. They make each other happy. If not for Maria, I have no doubt they would already be together."

He floated gently to the floor. "What makes you happy, Isabel?"

"Playing with my nieces and nephews," she said. "Strawberry fudge ice cream with pepper sauce and chocolate syrup."

Daniel's brows lifted. "That sounds stomach-churning."

"An Antaran dietary oddity," she said. "I didn't know you were in here, I can go."

"It's all right, I'm done," Daniel said. "I have a feeling something big is going to happen soon. We all need as much practice as we can get."

"I feel it too." As Daniel stepped past her, Isabel turned suddenly and said, "Daniel, were you ever married?"

His face was a mask when he turned to face her. "Yes, once. To a woman on another world."

"What happened?"

"She was taken as a Goa'uld host. Teal'c had to kill her in order to save my life."

Isabel's cheeks flushed red. "Oh my God, Daniel. I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"There is no death," Daniel said, reciting the Jedi axiom. "There is only the Force." He smiled gently at her. "The more I learn, the more I've come to believe that. You asked for a reason. I take it you've been married?"

"For a few months. When I was 18. I loved him very much, but when he found out I was an alien…"

"I understand," Daniel said.

"How do you deal with the loneliness?"

"Work."

"Is it enough?"

"Has it been for you?"

Isabel looked down at her feet, and then with sudden resolve stepped across the meter separating them until her lips were on his, her arms around his neck. It was not just a kiss, though. It was more than that. For one brief moment, she opened herself to him completely, and let a shard of the light within her pass into him.

When she stepped back, he appeared openly stunned. "There are other ways of passing on the Antaran wave than being shot and healed," Isabel said.

"That was definitely preferable to being shot," Daniel said. "Look, Isabel, I'm almost old enough to be…."

She stopped him. "I'm twenty-two, but only in this life. I was nearly thirty in my first life when I was murdered. The memories grow clearer as I grow older, and I understand far more than I ever thought I would. I am not the blushing young girl you may think me to be. But I am lonely."

Daniel lowered his chin to his chest in deep thought, and then ran a finger over his chest where the light of her power had taken root. He could feel its effects almost immediately through the Force, just the way Siana had described it. "I'm not an easy man to love," he said finally.

"I'm not asking for a marriage license and a ring," Isabel said, a little sharply. "I'm no Liz Parker mooning over Max at first sight. I'm Isabel Evans, Jedi knight. And I'm asking for a date. Nothing more."

Daniel's lips turned up a little. "I understand there's a movie coming out about you and your brother," Daniel said. "_Roswell?"_

She beamed. "And Katherine Heigl is playing me. I love her! She's so gorgeous."

"Definitely good casting," Daniel agreed. He sighed and looked around the room. Then, as if reaching his own decision, he held out a crooked arm for her. "Then let's go."

"Now?"

"Carpe diem," Daniel said. "Seize the day, for tomorrow we may be fighting Ori on an alien world."

"A premonition?"

"Something an irritating little letter whispered to me," Daniel said. He didn't bother to explain as he led her out of the room.

"'_Little letter!'" _Q spat from some invisible spot in the room.

* * *

_Vuhlkanu High Command, November 13, 2006 (4 CE)_

Rantik, Minister of the V'Shar, also known as the Vuhlkanu Security Directorate, sat in his office and watched on his monitor as Ori troops landed on his world while two massive Ori vessels hung threateningly in the sky.

The fact that merely two vessels were able to transport the many thousands of aliens was impressive. The fact the aliens were from all appearances human was surprising. The fact that five of the mysterious "priors" had accompanied the troops down to the surface and so easily destroyed the few pockets of isolated resistance was frightening.

As he sat sipping his hot tea, Rantik knew full and well that he was looking at the end of his world as he knew it.

It was about that time that one of his aides stepped into his office and bowed. "The priors wish to see me?" he asked, expecting the worse.

"No, Minister," the aide said. She sounded…puzzled?

"What is it, then?"

"We are receiving a communication from a being who states he represents something called the United Earth Commonwealth. He wishes to discuss the Ori with you."

Rantik turned and looked back at the images of his world's death. "Put him through."

"Yes, minister. It is an audio signal only."

His monitor beeped at him. "Greetings," he said in his native language. "This is Minister Rantik of the Vuhlkanu High Council. To whom am I speaking with?"

"Minister Rantik, my name is Kyle Katarn," an unfamiliar voice said, speaking perfect Vuhlkanu. "I speak on behalf of the United Earth Commonwealth. We have been made to understand that your world is currently under attack from a race of beings who call themselves the Ori."

"We are not under attack, Mister Katarn. We have capitulated with minimal resistance. They have landed troops on our surface and are quickly removing our communications satellites. It is likely our connection will not last long."

"Then let me be quick, Minister," Katarn said. "Earth has been fighting the Ori and gathering any allies we can. If we assist your world in defeating the immediate Ori threat, could Earth count you as an ally against further Ori aggression?"

"Will my answer determine whether you assist or not?"

"Unfortunately, Minister, it would. We are a single world with limited resources attempting to defend a galaxy. Our best hope in winning this battle is to first assist those who can in turn assist us."

It was a completely logical position to take, one that Rantik would possibly have taken himself in similar circumstances. "I am only one member of the High Command," Rantik said. "But as such, I would strongly argue for such an alliance. As, I am sure, the High Minister would as well. If you can help us regain our sovereignty, then we will join your cause."

"Then we have an agreement. I recommend your people not take any action against the ships in orbit or the troops on the surface until we have neutralized the priors. They must be our first targets. Once the priors have been neutralized, the soldiers under them will be the same as with any invading force."

"I understand. I look forward to meeting you, Mister Katarn."

"And I…"

The connection ended. Rantik looked to his tactical board and saw the last of the subspace satellites had been destroyed. T'khasi was now completely cut off from the rest of the universe.

* * *

_Residence of the Prime Minister of the United Earth Commonwealth, Commonwealth, France, Monday, November 13, 2006 (4 CE), 2:34 p.m. UST_

Prime Minister Charleston listened to the proposal with feigned calm. Since viewing the tactical recordings made by the _Daedalus_ of the _Tantalus's _final moments and the engagement at the Ori's first supergate two months prior, the Prime Minister had come to realize what an incredible and dire threat the Ori presented. Since then the Prime Minister began to receive reports from Stargate teams of entire worlds and whole species far more advanced even than Earth falling before the Ori threat.

Yet, here was Kyle Katarn, Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill and General of the UEC Defense Force Gregori Chekov telling him that not only could they do what entire interstellar empires had failed to accomplish, but that they should use Earth taxes and Earth personnel to do it.

Behind the two military leaders and the Jedi master sat a group of interested experts. Charleston knew Samantha O'Neill, of course. The romance and marriage of the highest ranked officer of Earth's infant space fleet and the head of Earth's Commonwealth Research Initiative was a source of constant gossip and even some celebrity. The last he heard, there were at least three separate movies planned, plus an on-going television series based on the adventures of the Stargate teams called _Wormhole Extreme_.

Jackson Roykirk was one of Dr. O'Neill's top research assistants and was in charge of the Copernicus Ship Yards on the moon. It was the oddly pale man sitting next to him that Charleston did not know. Yet it was this man's race they were discussing.

"This project will cost billions of adjusted dollars," Charleston said. "It will also leave the Earth only partially defended."

"We understand," O'Neill said. "We received out first shipment of resonance torpedoes from the Asgard two days ago, and we received notice that our delegation to Antar had reason to use them. Apparently they work pretty well."

"And we have successfully positioned our first three defense platforms," Chekov added. "These satellites do not have superlasers, per se, but they are armed with many of the Imperial turbolasers and ion cannons in addition to a payload of naquadria-enhanced nuclear missiles and resonance torpedoes, and they have Asgard shields."

Katarn leaned forward. "Mr. Prime Minister, there is one compelling reason why we have to help the Vulcans."

"Vuhlkanu," the odd man beside Roykirk said.

"That pronunciation is difficult for humans," Katarn explained to Mestral. "You may as well get used to being called Vulcans by most of us."

Mestral nodded. "As it may be."

"You were saying, Master Katarn?" the Prime Minister said.

"Thank you. The most compelling reason is that it is the right thing to do. The Vulcans appear to be a highly advanced, peaceful people with little in the way of military defense. Yet their subspace technology is decades beyond our own. Even the Imperial engineers have expressed admiration of it, citing its similarity to the holonet in their own galaxy. Defending Vulcan…"

Mestral opened his mouth to correct the name of his world again, but then thought better of it.

"…will be the first, necessary test of my Jedi. After all, would you rather they test their abilities on a world sixteen light years away, or here on Earth? And it will provide Earth with the moral basis to unify other potential allies. This will not be a conflict of aggression, but of liberation."

"How many men?" Charleston finally asked.

"We are hoping for assistance from the Vulcans once the Priors have been neutralized," Chekov said. "Mr. Mestral here has informed us of the conditions on his world we are likely to encounter, and we agree that suiting our men in Imperial storm trooper armor would be the safest approach until our own hybrid suits have been manufactured in sufficient numbers. We are thinking a minimum of a hundred thousand."

Charleston closed his eyes. "How many ships?"

"Four," Admiral O'Neill said. "Under the command of Rear Admiral Han Shintre. The _Odyssey_, the _Orestes_, the _Achilles_ and finally the _Daedalus_, which will serve as the flagship of the squadron. Teal'c has also been given command of a squadron of ha'taks by the Jaffa High Council with a promise of five thousand warriors, plus some additional Jaffa transports to carry men and materiel. This will be a true interplanetary force."

"How long to load men and equipment?"

"Three days," Chekov said. He cleared his threat. "We have already made some initial preparation, just in case."

"And then just hours to get there," O'Neill said. "Evidently the planet isn't really that far from Earth, they just don't have a gate."

"You realize this will be tantamount to a declaration of war against the Ori?" Charleston said.

"Mr. Prime Minister," Kyle said, "was there ever any alternative?"

"This will require parliamentary approval," Charleston decided. "I can declare hostilities, but under the charter I have to have a vote of confidence to act on those hostilities."

Beside the Prime Minister, Deputy Minister Beatrice Franklin said, "That means subcommittee testimony and full disclosure. We'll also want to stress that the Jaffa have pledged their support and we are in talks with the Antaran people as well. Most importantly, they have to know that the Vulcans asked us for help. That may be enough to convince people of the seriousness of our efforts. We'll also want to start issuing press releases and get some reporters out in the field with Stargate teams to start building additional public support."

Admiral O'Neill snorted. "That'll make Landry happy."

"Time is of the essence," Katarn said. "In my galaxy, the Ori reduced a planet-wide city of over a trillion to a few billion in the course of six months, and destroyed eighty thousand years of construction in minutes in an attempt to reduce the planet to an agrarian existence. The longer we take, the more Vulcans will die."

Charleston nodded. "Then it is a good thing I have the political clout I do," he said. "I'll need it." He stood. "Beatrice, call an emergency session of Parliament and prepare special briefings. Make sure to include the video of the _Tantalus_ and the Jaffa ships destroyed. Also I'll need to have the Asgard surveillance of that unpronounceable planet available. Kronos, was it?"

Mestral looked up in surprise. "Qo'noS? The Klingon home world?"

The Prime Minister and all in attendance turned to look. Mestral lifted a brow. "I was an explorer. We knew of the Klingons. They were a very powerful warrior race."

"Not any more," Katarn said darkly.

What followed as soldiers began to mobilize and Earth ships returned home was a war of information. News features were produced in hours mentioning a new threat to Earth called the Ori. An international news magazine reporter was granted the rare privilege of traveling through the Stargate with a UEC SG team to the planet Kallana, where the remnants of the first Jaffa colony were located. The reporter was given complete access to the village, which was destroyed because it would not bow before the Ori.

Master Bra'tac, the Jaffa ambassador, appeared on Earth television for the first time to talk about the number of Jaffa killed by the Ori so far, and of their resolve to fight this menace. "We fought for centuries to free ourselves from enslavement to false gods. With your planet's help we succeeded. We cannot now accept yet another enslavement. The Jaffa will fight for our freedom and will gladly give our lives for that freedom!"

On day two, a second wave of coverage emerged detailing the unique story of one alien who spent fifty years on Earth, married to an Earth woman. Although he was made deeply uncomfortable by the attention, Mestral had lived on Earth long enough to understand the need for propaganda. So with a UEC representative by his side, Mestral agreed to make the circuit of news and talk programs to discuss his world and his people.

Naturally, the reporters focused on his romance with an Earth woman and his decision to leave his own people for love. Mestral purposely chose not to correct the Earther's view of his people as lovelorn romantics. T'Mir would, undoubtedly, find such a view insulting.

On day three, as armaments and provisions were being loaded through Asgard transporter beams and Roberta Lincoln's Earth Central clearing house, and Imperial-style storm trooper armor was being fitted to UEC military personnel, came the revelation that Earth had already lost a ship to the Ori. Even though the loss was four months ago, a memorial was made to the crew of the _Icarus_ and the many ha'taks lost in the first engagement with the Ori. The names and pictures of every crew member were played across television screens throughout the world. The show was engineered to insure every international crewmember's name was prominently displayed in his or her native country.

Late that afternoon Prime Minister Charleston invited Mestral to speak to the Commonwealth Parliament to plead for help for his people, who had come under Ori oppression. "Try and sound emotional," Beatrice Franklin advised.

"There is no need to be insulting," Mestral responded.

The next day, as the task force of four ships broke orbit and launched into hyperspace, the Parliament of the United Earth Commonwealth passed the following resolution from both houses, which the Prime Minister promptly signed into law:

_November 16, Year 4 of the Commonwealth Era_

_A Joint Resolution of the People and Parliament of Earth Declaring that a state of war exists between the beings known as the Ori and any followers or allied governments thereof, and the people of Earth and making provisions to prosecute the same._

_Whereas the Ori and their allies have demonstrated acts of hostilities against the United Earth Commonwealth through the destruction of Commonwealth ships and the deaths of Commonwealth citizens, and whereas the Ori and their allies have committed acts of genocide against the free peoples of this galaxy: Therefore be it Resolved by the Upper and Lower houses of Parliament of the United Earth Commonwealth that the state of war between the United Earth Commonwealth and the Ori and their allies is hereby formally declared; and the Prime Minister is hereby authorized and directed to employ the entire Earth Defense Forces and the resources of this government to carry on war against the Ori and their allies; and, to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all of the resources of the planet are hereby pledged by the Parliament of the United Earth Commonwealth._

After he signed the declaration and made the requisite speeches, Minister Charleston returned to the residence and found Beatrice Franklin waiting for him with a glass of Zinfandel.

"Thank you," he said to the deputy secretary. He sank not into his desk chair, but into one of the couches. Franklin sat across from him. "Masterful work on the information campaign," he said.

"I didn't get you elevated from a state senator to the leader of the world without some skills," she said with a dry smile. "There will be a price to pay, though."

"There always is."

"Your career may not survive this," she said. "Especially if we suffer heavy losses."

Charleston nodded. "They lambasted me in America for only serving in the Army Reserves. I know there will be more calls about that world-wide."

"There will be," Beatrice said. "You've been through it before."

He nodded and the two life-long friends sat in companionable silence. He and Mr. Franklin were very close friends, and Beatrice was by his side through his wife's illness and eventual passing. There was no one he could think of he would rather have by his side during any difficulty.

She was the only person whose opinion he trusted better than his own.

"I know this is a bit late," he said, "but do you think we're doing the right thing?"

Franklin sipped her wine and then smiled as a thought came to her. "A famous man once said, 'One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never.'"

"Is this the same man who also once said, 'The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter'?"

Franklin laughed. "Probably. Churchill had no shortage of good quotes." She sipped the wine again before locking Charleston's eyes with hers. "We are making history, Bill. What happens in the next few months not only determines the fate of the Commonwealth, but possibly the fate of the human race. I can't tell you if this isthe best thing to do for our world. But in my opinion, I do believe this is the right thing to do."

Charleston nodded and finished his glass with a swig. "Thank you, Bea. I needed that."

"Any time, Bill. Good night."

"Good night."


	62. The Battle of Vulcan Part I

**Snowfur**--In time, my friend. Keep in mind, Part IV is not the end. There is another whole section to come to finish the war.

**Roosterman71**--With all the things hitting them from Doomsday on, the Earth couldn't pretend any more. I'm glad that worked for you.

**Azral**--I appreciate that. I think the inclusion of Roswell threw a lot of my Gods of Dark and Light readers off. But I wanted some way to increase the base power of the Jedi to be able to fight the Priors better, and the pieces of Roswell, X-Files and Siana's crash from Earth all just seemed to fit so well. I'm glad you were able to enjoy after that first section!

**Magali** and **Divad**--The egotist in me would love to argue and try to defend the passage in question, but the experienced writer in me actually agrees with you both. That passage with Izzie and Michael was actually on the chopping block since it didn't add much to the story and in fact detracted from it, but I left it in despite my Beta's judgment to fill the chapter out. It was a poorly written attempt to show a glimpse of the personal interaction from a large cast, but it was deceptive in that I don't actually ship Izzie or Michael in this story, and Maria IS still out there. The whole reason I wrote it was so Isabel could pass the Antaran wave onto Daniel. That was it, and that's what I should have stuck with. So, thank you both for some very good points. If I ever do clean this up, that section will probably be cut or heavily edited based on your excellent feedback.

Hopefully this chapter will make up a bit for it. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Two: The Battle of Vulcan Part I **

_UECS _Odyssey_, November 17, 4 CE_

In the hangar bay of the UECS _Odyssey_, six Jedi honed their arts. _Or more accurately_, Dana Scully Mulder thought to herself, _five Jedi and a former FBI agent turned Jedi padawan_.

Dana had always been a pragmatist. If she could not see it, touch it, measure it or empirically prove it using the scientific method, then as far as she was concerned it did not exist.

Then she met Fox Mulder—had it really been thirteen years? September 1993. Everything began to change.

Now, she could levitate objects with the power of her mind and even anticipate others' actions, such as the red lightsaber cane Minister Teal'c was swinging at her at that very moment.

"Your reaction was slower than normal," Teal'c noted after she barely deflected the blow. "Are you well?"

"Just a little distracted. And yes, I know I can't afford to be distracted."

"Distractions are acceptable," Teal'c said with a slight curling of his lips that in anyone else would be a beaming smile, "so long as you do not allow them to distract you."

"Your wisdom is profound," she said dryly.

He nodded, straight-faced. "Indeed." He moved and stood on her right while John Shepherd stood on her left, all watching as Daniel Jackson, Michael Guerin and Isabel Evans dueled under the tutelage of Kyle Katarn. They moved so fast that even with the Force it was hard to follow them from one moment to the other. Their white and blue storm-trooper armor blurred with speed.

"How'd he get so good so fast?" Shepherd muttered, obviously speaking about Daniel

"Jealous?" she asked.

With typical Shepherd honesty, the former Major and newly initiated Jedi said, "Hell yeah! No offense, but getting pounded on daily by women, even hot women like you and Evans, gets old really fast."

"Would you rather I pound on you, Padawan John Shepherd?" Teal'c offered.

Shepherd quickly shook his head. "No thank you. At least Dana lets me walk away in one piece when were done. And you're not even a Jedi."

Dana easily shut John's mutterings out and looked down at her own specially fitted armor. Instead of a blue chest plate, hers was an electric red bordering on fuchsia. Kyle wanted her and the other padawans visible to the others to protect, if necessary. Shepherd had the same coloring on his armor, as did Daniel.

"I should have started this training four years ago," she admitted to herself.

"It is difficult to let go of that which you know," Teal'c said. "Master Katarn showed me the flaws in my own combat. Although I do not have the Force, I was esteemed a master of combat by my people. With his training, I was both humbled and exalted. The fact you are here, now, is testament enough of your courage."

She looked up at the stone-faced Jaffa. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Dana Mulder."

She sighed, wishing she hadn't changed her name. Scully sounded so much better than Mulder, but it meant so much to Fox… who was home now by himself, since William was with Hanna Volper, her mother Izzie, the Evans children and the sole Jedi left on Earth—a pregnant Liz Evans.

"I feel so old," she said, looking at the three young adults, all of whom should still be in college.

"You do not appear old," Teal'c said. "In fact, I have noted on several occasions that you hide your age quite well for a Tau'ri. I have heard Samantha O'Neill say as much."

"Are you flirting with me, Teal'c?" she said coyly.

His eyebrow shot up at the suggestion. "Never," he said. "It would do dishonor to your husband."

A claxon boomed through the bay. "This is Admiral Shintre to Master Katarn."

Kyle left the three Jedi he was training with and flipped the intercom. "This is Kyle."

"Master Katarn, we are approaching the coordinates provided by Mister Mestral. Our long range sensors detect two Ori vessels."

Kyle nodded. "Very well. We are proceeding to the beaming room."

He turned and saw the others were ready, including Teal'c and Dana. "Teal'c," he said, "thank you for helping Dana and John. I'm assuming you wish to return to your fleet?"

"Indeed."

With a nod to the others, Teal'c left the bay. The Jedi followed shortly after. "Dana," Kyle said as they moved, "I want you to stay near me at all times. You'll have to fight, to be sure, but your primary roll here is as a learner." He paused and looked back at her. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she said. "I've been shot at before."

He grinned. "I know. And you'll do fine here, or you wouldn't be here."

He turned to the others. "John, you are going to be Michael's shadow. I know you were a Major, and Michael will be glad to listen to that aspect of your training, but in matters of the Force he is a knight. Listen to him."

He then turned his attention to Daniel and Isabel. "Are you two alright working with each other?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Daniel asked innocently while Isabel attempted to cover her smile.

"Just be careful," Kyle admonished them both.

They arrived at the beaming room just as Teal'c disappeared. There were already fifty soldiers there in gleaming white storm trooper armor carrying modified blasters. It was jarring a little. However, in the Force Kyle sensed these men were all Terrans, mainly Russian, American and Chinese soldiers, with a healthy spattering of English and Israeli special forces.

"We are the advance team," Kyle said to everyone, going over what they had all been studying for the past three hours. "Our job is to secure the Vulcan High Command for future tactical coordination. These beings will not speak your language, however Dr. O'Neill, Mestral and our engineers have implanted a translator in your helmets that will allow you to understand their speech, and for them to understand yours. It is a new program, however, so allow for the possibilities of mistranslations. Under no circumstances are you to harm any of the natives. I cannot stress this enough. If the choice is between shooting a native, or dying…well, do not shoot the native. You were selected because I believe you are good enough to avoid that situation. Are we clear?"

The soldiers nodded. "All right, for the remainder of this mission, General Chekov has authorized the transfer of CDF ground command to me. You all have my com frequency and I have yours."

The soldiers listened in absolute silence. These were the best Earth had to offer, culled from Special Forces units from nations around the world. They could have been an army of Kyle Katarn's from his early mercenary and Rebel days.

Just the way Kyle liked it.

The four ships of the United Earth Commonwealth fleet emerged from hyperspace parallel to the southern hemisphere of Vulcan heading directly toward the two Ori attack ships.

The Ori ships responded immediately, turning their massive beam weapons on the attacking Earth vessels.

The _Odyssey_ rocked under the impact of one of the beams. On the bridge, Admiral Shintre ordered all vessels to fire. Four superlaser cannons fired from the noses of all four ships, targeting the first Ori ship to fire. At the same time, each of the Earth ships fired a single resonance torpedo.

The Ori ship seemed almost to halt mid-flight under the impact of the superlasers, but its astounding shields continued to hold. Until, that is, the four torpedoes struck it. The shields around the ship flashed white for a moment before fading from view. All four Earth vessels continued their trajectory, passing just a few hundred meters over the enemy vessels and strafing the Ori vessel with turbolaser fire and conventional torpedoes.

As they flew by, they launched two Mark IX naquedah-enhanced nuclear missiles from their rear launchers and pushed their sublight drives to full power. The missiles struck the unshielded Ori vessel amidship and erupted in a bright-white flash of light that could have cracked the crust of a planet.

The targeted ship was so thoroughly vaporized not even debris remained.

The second ship whipped around and pursued, firing repeatedly.

"The _Orestes_ reports shields down to forty percent and damage to their left hangar nacelle," Captain Emerson reported.

"Inform the _Orestes_ to withdraw and begin beaming down personnel and releasing its drop ships," Shintre said. "Order the other ships to stay in formation. Please send my regards to Minister Teal'c, and would the Jaffa be so kind as to give our friends a few torpedoes in their backsides?"

Captain Emerson grinned as he relayed the orders and the request. Behind the Ori ship, four al'kesh bombers slipped from their cloaks and each released a resonance torpedo at the Ori ship from behind, before immediately re-cloaking.

Shintre watched the move with a grim, determined expression and nodded. "All ships perform full vertical flip, charge all main guns and fire on my mark."

The three remaining Earth ships flipped at their gravitational mid-points like sticks flying end-over end. Their orientation to the planet reversed and in a second, while still traveling backward with residual momentum, their main guns now faced the unshielded Ori attack ship.

"Fire, all weapons," Shintre ordered.

Three super lasers and four hundred turbolasers fired simultaneously on the unshielded Ori vessel, destroying it entirely. When the vaporized gasses cleared, the skies above Vulcan were clear. "All ships assume combat orbit," Shintre ordered. "Master Katarn," he said into the intercom, "I have secured Vulcan space for you."

"Thank you, Admiral," Katarn said. "We are ready to proceed to the surface."

"Very well. Good luck, Master Jedi."

"To you as well. A job well done to you and your crew."

In the beaming room, Kyle stepped in with a circle of twelve soldiers. "Are you ready, Dana?"

Dana nodded and stepped to his side, gripping her newly constructed lightsaber tightly. "Let's do this," she whispered.

There was a familiar flash of white light, and then…more light with a painful yellow tinge. "Put on your gear," Kyle said as he slipped on specially polarized goggles and a headgear. Dana did the same, thankful for her body armor and even more so the chemical refrigerant running through it.

They spread out and looked around the city, which appeared to be deserted.

Dana was fascinated with the alien architecture—everything was rounded, without any right angles she could detect. Massive buildings rose into the sky as gleaming towers, fully as majestic as anything Earth could ever hope to have. The heat, however, was oppressive even with the cooling effect of her armor.

"Reach out with your senses, Dana," Kyle said as the twelve soldiers knelt down. "What do you feel?"

She closed her eyes and reached out as Kyle had been teaching her, and instantly felt hostility. "Enemy soldiers," she said, pointing. "Around that corner, and on the fifth floor of the building also around that corner. They're waiting for us."

"Do you feel the Vulcans?"

It took a shift in her perception, but she did eventually feel them. In the Force they felt like pockets of cool water against the hotter emotions of the human Ori servants. "They're being held by the enemy."

"Shields," Kyle said, spitting. "The Ori forces are using the Vulcans as shields to hamper our fire."

"What do we do?"

"We kill the bad guys, of course," Kyle said. "Captain Vilke, I want you to take your squadron around the building and approach the street-level enemy from the rear. I detect twenty men on the ground, another ten in the building opposite." He turned to Dana. "You and I are going to the fifth floor where they're holding the hostages."

In the Force, she felt a stirring and knew that Michael and Shepherd's party of soldiers had also encountered resistance, as had Isabel and Daniel.

"All right," Kyle said as the white-armored soldiers left. "We go in this building, jump across, and attack the enemy from behind."

Dana nodded. The two ignited their sabers and rather than look for an entrance simply cut their way through what looked like a window.

They immediately found themselves surrounded by a line of aliens with pale skin, pointed ears and very bad haircuts. "My name is Kyle Katarn," Kyle said in Vulcan to the unarmed group. "I have come from the Planet Earth at the behest of your High Command to assist you with the Ori. Please remain where you are and do not resist them." He looked around. "Can someone show me the most direct path to the roof of this building?"

Dana, still adjusting to the Asgard language acquisition device all the Jedi now had, marveled at how easy it was to understand him.

"I will show you," one of the Vulcans said. "Follow me."

They found a functioning lift and zoomed quickly to the rounded roof. Kyle stared at the distance between the roofs. "The gravity here is heaver, at least 1.5 of Earth," he said, bouncing on his knees. The roof of the other building was perhaps twenty meters away. "Think you can do it?"

Four months ago Dana would have scoffed. Now… "I'll need a boost, but yes, I think I can."

Kyle grinned. "That's my padawan! All right, I'm going to form a link with you. I'm going to be feeding you energy when you jump. Remember, getting there is only half the fight—landing is the other half."

Dana nodded and began the process of gathering the Force to her. With a last look at Kyle, she began running to the edge of the roof. Their Vulcan guide watched with a gaping jaw as Dana launched herself into the air. She felt the push from Kyle aiding her trajectory. Suddenly the other building's roof loomed very close. She braced herself, pushed down with the Force to cushion her landing, and then rolled.

She came up breathing hard but exhilarated. A moment later Kyle landed beside her. "Excellently done," he said.

"It was different," she said. Kyle raised a hand to the Vulcan now staring at them from the other roof, and headed down.

They found another lift and dropped down to the fifth floor of the building. Kyle selected the button to stop based more on his Force perception than on his ability to read the arcane Vulcan script. They stepped into a deserted hall, and just a few meters down saw the door. Behind the door they could feel the Vulcans and their human captors. "The Ori followers are human?" she asked.

"Yeah, strange, isn't it?" Kyle said. "It's always astounded me just how many humans and near-humans there are in the universe." He concentrated on the door. "How many humans do you sense?"

"Ten."

"How many Vulcans?"

"Five."

"So what does that tell you?"

"Save the Vulcans first."

Kyle nodded. "The moment you get in, pull the Vulcans through the door into the hall. I know it's still difficult for you to latch onto more than one object at a time, so don't even try. Find one Vulcan and try to save him, then do the same with the next. I'll deal with the soldiers."

Dana nodded and braced herself. Both ignited their sabers. With a wave of his hand, Kyle exploded the door and rushed forward with Dana a step behind. The soldiers were all standing against a long window paneling looking down on the street. They spun around with unwieldy staves to fire, but by then Dana already had the first Vulcan through the door.

Without waiting for them to shoot, Kyle blasted the ten soldiers with blinding white Force lightning that shattered the glass behind and sent all ten men sprawling out the window to their deaths.

On the street below, Captain Vilke and his squad threw a dozen thermal detonators set to their highest capacity at the waiting Ori soldiers. As the soldiers flew into the air or rolled dazed from the explosion, the Earth force rushed forward, firing their blasters until the enemy was obliterated.

On the fifth floor of the building, a Vulcan woman slowly stood and brushed glass from her tunic. "You must be the Earthlings," she said. "My name is T'Prain. It was I who authorized our contact with your world."

"That's a coincidence," Kyle said.

Beside her, a Vulcan male stood. "It is not such a coincidence. I am Rantik, whom you spoke with before. All administrators of every level across the world have been gathered in the capital city to be used as shields and hostages in the event of hostility. Fortunately for us, such hostility has not come."

"It has now," Kyle said. "We've destroyed their ships. We're here to help you retake High Command so you can coordinate the defense of your world."

"Then we are immensely grateful for your arrival," Rantik said. "Come, we have much to do."


	63. The Battle of Vulcan Part II

**Roosterman71**--Thanks, I appreciate it. And I loved the Jedi on Vulcan too. In a way, the whole first three parts of this story were a set up for Part IV and Part V.

**Snowfur**--It really is just getting started, trust me. I hope you enjoy the rirde.

**divad relffehs**--Thank you. It helps that the story is complete. Your theory has some merit. He was actually exposed to the Force by Oma Desala pretty early in SG canon. Even though he never actually died and ascended in this AU, that exposure did change him. Also, he is unusually strong in the Force. It was this strength that attracted Oma to him in the first place.

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Three: The Battle of Vulcan Part II**

_UECS Odyssey, In Orbit over Vulcan, November 17, 4 CE_

"All troops deployed," the Tactical Officer reported.

Admiral Shintre nodded. "Hold stations. Maintain combat readiness."

"Aye, Admiral."

Han Shintre left the center command chair, stepped past his two com officers, and stared at the view screen intently.

"Admiral," Communications said, "Minister Teal'c has asked whether his forces can decloak or not."

Shintre shook his head. "Request that the Jaffa forces remain cloaked at this time."

"Aye, Admiral. We also have a signal from the surface, Sir."

"On speaker."

"Admiral Shintre, this is Katarn."

"Good to hear your voice, Master Jedi," Shintre said. "What is our situation?"

"We have liberated the Vulcan High Command and are coordinating with planetary forces to engage the enemy. High Command informs us a total of five priors made planet fall. We're searching for them now."

"Very good, Master Katarn."

"Admiral, there is one more thing. I and the other Jedi are sensing a disturbance in the Force. I don't think your people are done up there."

"That was my feeling as well, Master Katarn. We are on full alert."

"Very good. May the Force be with you, Admiral."

"And you, Master Jedi."

The signal ended and Shintre stood, hands clasped behind his back. How odd, he thought to himself, that he stood in command of a Terran taskforce, looking over the horizon of a planet twenty-eight galaxies away from his own. Something was coming. Be it the Force or intuition, Shintre knew something was coming.

It came as a relief when Tactical called out, "Enemy contacts approaching fast. Ori attack ships."

"How many?"

"Five, Admiral."

Shintre nodded. "All ships break formation and take any necessary evasive action." Beyond the viewscreen the tan horizon of Vulcan spun away as the _Odyssey_ surged into motion. "My compliments to Minister Teal'c, and would the Jaffa ships provide resonance torpedo covering fire?"

"The Jaffa squadron confirms orders," Communications called.

Shintre stepped back to his command chair. "All ships charge main weapons and fire only after torpedoes have been fired."

* * *

"Captain, to your left!" Isabel warned.

Captain Vilnos nodded, spun about with two of his men and quickly gunned the Ori soldier down. He then duck-walked to her side behind the collapsed tower that now served as a barrier between the Terran and Ori forces. "So, Little Jedi," he said with his heavily accented Russian, "what to do now?" He looked from Daniel, then back to Isabel.

She grinned at Daniel. "Personally I'm thinking e-webs. What about you?"

Daniel nodded. "Seems like a good idea."

Vilnos guffawed and slapped her armor plating. "I like the way you thinkadd comma little girl! E-webs, comrades."

"And while you're doing that," she said, "have five men join us in a little stroll around the block."

"Aye," Vilnos said. He sniffed the air, as hot as Saudi Arabia in summer. "A good day for a walk."

In moments, two modified e-webs with motion-sensors and auto targeting began blasting anything that moved from the Ori front while Isabel and her five soldiers made their way in a flanking position. Each of the soldiers carried a belt full of thermal detonators.

"When we get in range, detonators only," she said. "Toss them blind. See if we can get them to jump into the e-web fire."

The soldiers nodded in appreciation of the plan. Suddenly, she and Daniel felt a surge through the Force and both jumped away as the five men suddenly collapsed into the ground, as if struck by some impossibly heavy weight. Isabel rolled from her leap and came to her feet face-to-face with her first Prior while nearby Daniel did the same.this wording makes it sound like Daniel also came face-to-face with a Prior, which would make two of them. Reword somehow. They had found the first of the five priors on the planet.

"Isabel Evans," the prior said as he raised his staff. "I have come to show you the path of Origin."

Isabel struck with Antaran Force lightning. The Ori stumbled back, clearly surprised by the ferocity of the attack. At the same time, Daniel's green saber flashed down. The prior deflected the green saber, but then cried out under another blast of white lightning from Isabel's hand, followed instantly by the hum of her blue saber.

Suddenly he waved his staff and an invisible force struck both Jedi, sending them sprawling. Daniel stumbled, but Isabel, with four years of training under Kyle Katarn, landed squarely on her feet and darted forward with Force-borne speed.

"Look at them," an all-too-familiar voice said to Daniel as he struggled to get up. He looked, and there was Q sitting on top of a piece of rubble, wearing storm trooper armor with a colonel's insignia. "Soulless pawn and little girl, fighting like animals. He is already dead—the Ori consumed his soul when they made him their slave. If she wins, they just replace him. But how will you replace her, Daniel? The priors will keep coming, and the Ori will send worse soon. And when you're all dead, what then? Do you really think you can beat them?"

"Where's Oma when you need her," Daniel muttered.

"She's hiding in fear. Even her weak Ascended friends know when to fight, and when to run."

Isabel let out a short, clipped yelp as the prior tossed her across the road. Ignoring Q, Daniel threw himself off the debris and into the prior's face, sinking himself into the Force until his consciousness itself seemed to fade away. There was only the Force to guide his steps, and move his arms.

It was not enough. A terrible pressure grabbed him by the neck and lifted him from the ground. "Foolish boy," the prior said, echoing Q. "Those who do not follow the path of Origin must be destroyed."

He looked up; Daniel did as well. A large rock was falling from the sky. The prior dropped Daniel and held up a hand to stop the rock. Just then Isabel returned and thrust her saber forward, while Daniel thrust his from the opposite direction.

Green and blue sabers met in the middle of the startled Ori's chest. His milky eyes met Daniel's for a moment before the stone fell, completing the Jedi's work. A flash of flame followed, erasing all trace of him.

"Nice move," Daniel said.

"A suggestion from Kyle," Isabel said. "He said sometimes the priors have a problem multitasking. You did really well."

"And you were amazing," Daniel said.

"I know." Her grin died when she looked at their escort. "They're all dead."

Daniel nodded. "It's why we're here. We have a chance against the priors. No one else does."

Both sensed a disturbance in the Force and looked up in time to see a distant speck of light in the pale sky, which lasted only a second. "That was a ha'tak," Daniel said. He looked back down at Isabel. "The Ori counterattack must have begun."

* * *

Teal'c watched the ha'tak explode with open anger. "Jaffa, _cree!_" he shouted over the Jaffa's inter-ship frequency. The five remaining ha'taks deactivated their newly installed cloaking devices and launched a full salvo of staff cannon fire and torpedoes.

The Ori ship that had broken off from the Terrans to attack them did not even slow as its shields failed. Instead, it continued firing its terrible main weapon and destroyed yet another ha'tak.

"Its shields are down!" Teal'c said. "All ships follow and continue to fire!"

A few thousand kilometers away, the _Orestes_ limped into a low orbit as sparks and leaking plasma billowed from the struts of what was once its starboard docking nacelle.

On the _Odyssey_, Shintre watched as an Ori ship turned to finish the damaged Earth vessel off. "Fire on that ship!" Shintre ordered.

"We're only at thirty percent."

"Fire!"

The _Odyssey_ fired its main weapon just as the Ori ship fired its own. The brilliant white beam of light seared through the main hull of the _Orestes_ just as the thicker beam of green energy from the _Odyssey_ tore through the leeward side of the Ori ship.

"Emergency beam out," Shintre ordered.

"We got forty," Tactical said. "_Daedalus _and _Achilles_ report forty and sixty-two respectively."

The ship shook violently, throwing the admiral off his feet. "Direct hit, shields at forty percent!" Tactical called. "The Ori ship is on our tail! Fighters have engaged with minimal effect!"

"Can the other ships assist?"

The ship's captain shook her head. "Admiral, Captain Kamanin reports the _Daedalus_ is at twenty percent shields. They have managed to damage the attacking vessel but have not had a clear opportunity to employ the main weapon. _Achilles_ is at thirty percent shields."

"They're employing real tactics now that they can't hide behind their shields," Shintre said. "And the Jaffa?"

"They are engaging another Ori vessel but are suffering heavy losses."

Shintre nodded. "Bring us about toward the damaged vessel. See if we can shield ourselves."

The _Odyssey_ swung abruptly toward a lower orbit of the planet where the damaged Ori ship floated. As they changed trajectory, the damaged Ori ship also began to spin around to bring its main guns to bear.

"Admiral?" the captain said.

"Maintain course," Shintre said. "Orient the ship 45 degrees north of the horizon. Prepare for a hyperspace jump on my mark."

"Coordinates?"

"Dead ahead. A five second burst only."

"Understood."

The Ori ship's weapon came into range and fired. "Activate hyperdrive," Shintre said as the enemy ship's weapon took on the tell-tale glow of a weapon's emission.

The _Odyssey_ disappeared in a flash of Cronau radiation, which was immediately bisected by a flash of white Ori weapon's fire that collided directly into the broad face of the unshielded Ori vessel that had been trailing them.

Two seconds later, on the other side of the planet, the _Odyssey_ emerged from hyperspace and immediately re-oriented itself to return to the battle. "Brilliant maneuver, Admiral!" Captain Emerson called.

"The advantage of this galaxy's hyperdrive technology," Shintre said. "In my galaxy, that would have killed us and taken a large part of the planet with us."

"Admiral, the _Achilles_ reports all shields down. _Daedalus_ is at ten percent and they are no longer able to fire their primary weapons!"

"Sound a general retreat," Shintre said. "I think Admiral O'Neill would not appreciate us losing Earth's whole fleet."

"Admiral, new contacts!" Tactical said. Shintre turned as the tactical officer leaned forward. He was Corellian, like Shintre, who had accepted the Terran offer of amnesty. "Sir, it's a star destroyer. No, wait—two destroyers."

Shintre allowed himself a smile for the first time. "Please signal the destroyers with my compliments, and advise them any assistance would be appreciated."

* * *

"Your forces appear to be quite effective, Master Katarn," Minister Rantik said. The two sat in the High Command's tactical center.

"I've received several comments from my commanders regarding your own people's prowess," Katarn said. "I still wish I knew where that last Prior was."

"Can one man be such a threat?"

"Single priors have killed whole planets," Kyle said. "In my own galaxy, the arrival of a prior on a world usually meant the death of that world, until the end when we developed the weapons to defeat them."

Kyle's ear beeped insistently. "This is Kyle."

"It's Michael. Shepherd and I found and took out the last Prior."

Kyle heard something in the voice, something terrible. "What happened?"

On the edge of the Forge, looking over the town of ShirKahr, Michael wiped the grime from his face and looked back at Shepherd, then the rest of his unit. The original fifty of his advanced team had become two thousand as the rest of the regular forces had come down. All of them stood outside the town, cooking under the hot sun, as they looked over the last act of defiance from the prior.

"They killed a Vulcan city. Looks like the plague you warned us about. The whole town is dead."

Kyle looked at Rantik, who could not hear the exchange, then at the other Vulcans. At last he found the one named T'Prain. "I'm very sorry," he said. "We've found and destroyed the last prior, but not before he was able to take action. The city of ShirKahr is dead."

Rantik took a step back as if struck. T'Prain and Solkar rose to their feet slowly. "T'Mir," Solkar whispered.

* * *

Siana Delun and Delvin Ostrael stood beside Captain Holon on the command deck of the HIMS _Fel's Pride_ as the ship emerged from hyperspace.

The task force of four destroyers Emperor Roan Fel provided to Siana seemed a gift from the Force itself, until faced with the task of getting those three those other three? Or extra three? destroyers across twenty-eight galaxies. The problem of how to get them to Earth was resolved when Heimdall called in reinforcements and three more Asgard vessels appeared. "They may only assist for one trip," Heimdall told them all. "Our own war continues."

What threatened to be a month-long trip turned into mere days, and the ships emerged above Earth.

They were immediately hailed by the _Prometheus_ and Admiral O'Neill.

The Admiral blinked when he saw her. "Siana," he said, casually enough. "They're friends, right? They're not going to blow anything up, like Asia or anything, right?"

Beside her, Siana felt Holon stiffen. The translator Siana had provided appeared to be working. "Admiral O'Neill, this is Senior Captain Antias Holon of the _Fel's Pride_. On behalf of his Imperial Majesty Emperor Fel, I have been ordered to place these ships at your disposal, with the caveats of course that I may refuse any order that may be detrimental to the Empire. I'm most certainly not planning on firing on your planet."

O'Neill nodded. "Good to know. Siana, Kyle's taken a task force to a planet called Vulcan. It might not be a bad idea to send a pair of those ships of yours over there to see how they're doing. Captain, if you would be so kind, we've weakened our own defense to aid this other planet, so two of your ships here would be much appreciated. I'm sending up Vulcan's coordinates now."

"Of course, Admiral," the Captain said. He turned to his executive officer, who nodded after confirming with the navigation station that they had received the coordinates. "Do you know if this hyperspace lane is clear?"

"It's clear," O'Neill said.

"Then we are on our way."

While Heimdall's tapped out ship and one of the other star destroyers took up positions around Earth, the _Fel's Pride_ and its escort destroyer launched into hyperspace on its own power. It made the jump in mere hours.

They emerged into a pitched battle. "Battle stations!" Holon ordered. "Those longer ships are the Terrans?"

Beside the Captain, Ostrael nodded. "Yes. Those round ships must be the Ori."

"Very good. Status, Lieutenant Montose?"

"The Terran ships appear to be suffering heavy damage. There are other ships, triangular in shape, are also suffering heavy losses."

"Full sublight, take us in and fire the main guns at the first target of opportunity. Confirm orders to the _Bastian_."

"Yes, Captain."

On the arched bow of the ten kilometer star destroyer, four pairs of eight guns, each as powerful as the primary weapon on board the _Odyssey_, swiveled on massive turrets and centered on the Ori ships.

The three Ori ships immediately broke off their attack and turned on the Star Destroyers. Three beams of brilliant bright white slashed out toward the lead destroyer.

The impact shook the whole command deck. Holon yelled "Damage?" in a shocked tone.

"Shields are gone, we have massive damage to fore decks!" the executive officer called. "One more volley like that and we're done!"

"Fire all weapons, take evasive action!"

Two sets of eight superlasers, each roughly the strength of the old _Eclipse_ superlaser of a century ago, shot back at the three Ori ships. Each of the Ori ships were charging to fire again when both the_ Fel's Pride_ and _Bastion's_ answering barrage struck. The three ships exploded in quick succession.

Holon nodded. "Their offensive capabilities were significant," he said, oblivious to the Terran resonance torpedos. "But their shielding was sub-par."

"Sir," the communications trench announced, "We are receiving a com signal from one of the Terran vessels. It's…Sir, it's Admiral Han Shintre."

Holon's brow arched. "Shintre? An admiral? On a Terran ship?"

"It's a long story," Ostrael said. "Remember, Captain, that he commanded the _Dragon's Claw_ under Darth Krayt when he was ordered to fire on the Terran homeworld."

Holon stared first at Ostrael, then Siana. "I understand your Admiral's comments, then," he said. "Very well, put _Admiral_ Shintre through."

Instead of the standard three-dimensional hologram, Shintre's visage came through as a 2-D flat image. "Captain Holon. It is a pleasure to see you. Your timing, as usual, was impeccable."

"Han," Holon said. "My old friend, I honestly thought never to see you again. You serve the Terrans now?"

"They are an honorable people. I accepted their offer of citizenship and the commission that followed. I do not regret my decision."

"Then neither shall I," Holon said. "By order of his Imperial Majesty Roan Fel, I offer you the assistance of this vessel."

"On behalf of the Prime Minister and Parliament of the United Earth Commonwealth, I accept. Welcome to the Milky Way Galaxy, my friend."


	64. Apotheosis

**Snowfur**--A little authorial intrusion to ensure good timing is okay once in a while, right? SG-1 writers did it all the time, after all.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you. The battles in Heaven Falls are different that GOD&L--the smaller number of ships makes each engagement a little more up close and personal.

**Darth Tic-Tac**--Yep, the Earth has some heavy duty back-up now.

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Four: Apotheosis**

_Capital City, Romulus, November 19, 4 CE_

Vala Mal Doran lay curled up in a ball of pain on a luxurious bed in a huge room looking over a sparkling alien city.

Her legs were still coated in dried blood and amniotic fluid.

The baby had come. A horde of women in oddly primitive dress gathered around her, cooing and holding her hand and helping her through one of the worst experiences of her life. And when the child was born, they carried the child out of the room and did not come back.

That was five hours ago.

The worst of the throbbing was easing a little, but it still hurt too much for Vala to even try moving. Even had there been no pain at all, her physical exhaustion was so overwhelming she couldn't have moved if she wanted to.

She was too tired even to cry.

Suddenly the door slid open. She looked without lifting her head as a young girl walked into the room wearing a head cap and dress just like the older women who gathered at the door behind her. Her eyes were yellow and feral looking, even though she appeared to be no more than two or three years old.

The girl stepped across to the bed as adults gathered at the doorway outside. "Hello, Mother," the girl said.

"Mother?" Vala's voice, already strained from the pregnancy, cracked. "You can't be…"

"I am the Orici," the girl said in her childish wisp. "The Ori are part of me."

"Sneaky bastards," Vala whispers.

"Are you in pain, Mother?"

Vala lifted a hand and touched the girl's cheek. She looked absolutely beautiful, except for those ghastly eyes. "I am, darling."

The child placed her hands over Vala's stomach, and following a flash of light, the pain completely disappeared. Strength and vitality rushed through her body. "All is possible in the light of Origin," the child intoned.

Vala sat up, though she never took her eyes off the girl. "What is your name?"

"I am the Orici."

"That is a title, not a name."

The child tilted her head as she stared up at Vala. "Then I do not have a name."

"I knew a woman once. My stepmother. I'll name you for her. Adria."

The child smiled. "It is a beautiful name. Thank you, mother!" She wrapped a child's arms around Vala's neck. "Rest here, for now," she said. "I will return when I am older to check on you."

As if the suggestion were a compulsion, Vala's eyes began getting heavy and she sank down to the pillow, falling into a deep, restful slumber.

* * *

_Capital City, Vulcan, November 19, 4 CE_

Daniel Jackson meditated as the hot Vulcan sun set on the horizon. The shift of temperature was starting. The moment the direct sunlight moved off his armor, the air instantly grew cold.

"Do you think this was a victory?" Q asked.

In the Force, the being calling himself Q was a supernova of white light, a bundle of such power Daniel could not deny his claims of omnipotence. And yet to the naked eye he was an irritating man with a large nose and thinning hair. "Good evening to you as well," Daniel said.

Q stood and looked over the capital city of the Vulcans. "Interesting that the first battle would happen here, over the most boring planet in the whole galaxy. They show as much emotion going to the bathroom as they do getting married."

"They seem to be a subtle and complex society," Daniel said. "I enjoyed my brief discussions with them."

"I'm sure you did." Q brushed the shoulder pad his storm trooper armor. "You're as exciting as they are. Although I like your girlfriend. Good for you. Had enough of moping about, did you?"

Daniel gave up on meditation. "Q, do the Ori scare you? Is that why you're here?"

Q shrugged. "Scare me? The Q operate on a plane as far above the Ori as they are above you. They do not scare me."

"And yet you're here, constantly going on about how terrible they are. So something has you riled."

"They will sweep across your galaxy and destroy or enslave every sentient being alive," Q predicted. His voice was as cold as death. "Doesn't that scare you?"

"Of course it does. And I think it scares you too."

With a huff and a flash of light, Q disappeared. A split second later, Oma Desala stood in his place. "It's a regular divinity convention," Daniel said lightly.

She smiled gently and motioned for him to sit. "Tread lightly around Q, Daniel. His kind do not restrain themselves from interfering with lesser beings. The Q have caused entire races to go extinct in the blink of an eye."

"If he did that, then he wouldn't have anyone to try and scare about the Ori coming." Daniel motioned toward the valley and the magnificent world beyond. "We seemed to do all right here."

"You did. The war is not so hopeless, but do not think every engagement will be this easy," Oma warned. She sighed. "There is so much conflict in your future. But there is also hope, Daniel. And you, my friend, will play an integral role."

"Let me guess, I'll ascend like you and be a warrior on the higher planes."

Oma chuckled. "If ever a war was fought among higher beings, Daniel, whole solar systems, or even galaxies, would ceased to exist. This is why we cannot help you against the Ori. This is why we will not allow any other higher beings to intervene. The stakes are too great. This battle must be fought on this plane, no matter how stark the odds."

"And yet you and Q come to me, and talk to me. Why, Oma?"

"You are the key," she said. "I wish I could say more. Be well, Daniel. I will be watching." With that, Oma also disappeared in a flash of light.

When Daniel arrived back at the Vulcan High Command tower, he found Teal'c, Kyle Katarn and Dr. Carolyn Lam talking about the many Terran casualties. Lam, who interestingly enough was General Landry's daughter, was one oftwenty physicians assigned to the taskforce. Although he entered the conference room late, he overheard the figure of twelve hundred dead and another three thousand injured. The Vulcans suffered ten times that loss, counting plague victims.

Kyle and the others nodded as Daniel stepped in and sat down tiredly. The other Jedi were on patrol, scouting for any hold-out troops. The Ori soldiers steadfastly refused surrender and often killed themselves to avoid capture.

"This is only the first battle," Kyle said. "There will be more."

"Minister Rantik has pledged continued Vulcan support," Teal'c said. "They fought well against the Ori ground troops. And the Jaffa of course will continue to aid in your efforts."

"Admiral Shintre tells me your squadron performed very well," Katarn said. "Please express our thanks to Gerak."

"I will, although he will be stepping down soon. Master Bra'tac has been newly elected to the position of Prime Minister of the Jaffa."

Daniel's brows shot up. "Prime Minister? So you're going with a parliamentary government?"

"With Master Bra'tac's efforts and our continued friendship with the Tau'ri, yes. The Tau'ri teams have been most helpful in many things, including helping us structure our government. We have built schools now, and our first regular shipyards. The newest ha'taks will have much stronger shielding, thanks to you and the Asgard."

All of their comms beeped at the same time. "This is Katarn," Kyle said.

"Master Katarn, this is Admiral Shintre. I wanted to advise you that three Antaran motherships have just made orbit, with Masters Evans and Harding aboard. They wished me to inform you that the Antar Confederacy has formally entered a mutual defense treaty with the United Earth Commonwealth, and that the tyrant Kivar has been deposed."

"That is welcome news, Admiral. Thank you."

"That's some fleet we have," Dr. Lam noted. "Jaffa, Imperial, Commonwealth and now Antaran. All we need now are Vorlons and Mimbari and we're all set."

Kyle stared at her blankly. "I'm not familiar with those races."

Lam blushed. "Sorry. I'm so used to living science fiction I sometimes forget where the science ends and the fiction starts. They're fictional races from a television show I used to watch."

"A very entertaining program," Teal'c said. "Not as good as _Cosmic Wars_, but enjoyable nonetheless." Then he shook his head. "Tau'ri science fiction has not been the same since they learned the truth."

Lam sighed. "I know. Now everything is fantasy."

"Or _Wormhole Xtreme_," Teal'c said darkly. "They made me silver. I am not silver."

Their communicators buzzed again. Kyle touched his earpiece and said, "This is Katarn."

"Admiral Shintre again, Master Katarn. I am now pleased to announce the subspace relay to Earth is functioning. I am aware of this because we have just received a priority subspace message from Admiral O'Neill. We have been recalled to Earth."

"Thank you, Admiral," Kyle said. "Teal'c, do you wish to come?"

"I do," Teal'c said. "This planet is warmer than I am accustomed to."

"Then four to beam up, Admiral," Kyle said.

Lam snickered as the white light flashed around them.


	65. Europa, Europa

**Snowfur**--Babylon 5 may be one of the only Sci-Fi fics from the recent past that I don't put into this story. My rule is if I refer to it within the story, then it won't be involved in the crossover. Hence all SW references are changed to _Cosmic Wars_. _Wormhole Extreme_ was just too perfect not to mention. That was just one of the best episodes of SG-1 out there.

**Beth Weasley**--That would be fun, but since I've mentioned them as being science fiction, they're out as real crossovers. And don't worry about not having seen Roswell. I think I'm one of only a dozen world wide who enjoyed it. But Roberta--surely you remember Teri Garr's protrayal of Roberta from the OS Star Trek episode _Assignment Earth_ with Gary Seven? It was originally intended as a spin-off but the network never bit on it. Still, it was a great episode.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you. I try not to take myself too seriously, in life or in fiction. I'm glad it worked for you.

However, there's not much to laugh about in these coming chapters. I hope everyone enjoys!

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Five: Europa, Europa**

_United Earth Commonwealth Orbital Defense Platform Alexander Matrosov, Sunday, November 19, 4 CE, 11:34 p.m. GMT_

The trip back to Earth via hyperspace was a matter of hours at top speed. Kyle Katarn stood in the forward observation deck of the UECS _Odyssey_ as the swirl of hyperspace collapsed into the more defined tones of real space. The brilliant blue orb of Earth expanded at radical speed until the ships came to a relative stop, and the planet took up much of the view port. He caught peripheral splashes of blue radiation from the real-space conversions of the _Daedalus_ and _Achilles_, as well as the two Imperial Star destroyers _Fel's Pride_ and _Bastion._ A moment later one of the Antaran ships carrying Max and Tess arrived.

The first thing he saw was the third and fourth star destroyers that comprised the distant Emperor's task force. The second was the defense platform named after a Russian hero Kyle knew nothing about. The platform was dwarfed next to the 10-kilometer-long ship. Finally he saw the _Prometheus_ and the _Ajax_ in the far distance, barely visible as more than specks of light.

"Master Katarn," Teal'c said.

Kyle turned to face the first man he ever met on Earth. "My friend."

Teal'c bowed his head solemnly. "Admiral O'Neill is on the defense platform and requests your presence at a briefing to begin as soon as you arrive. All captains, both Commonwealth and allies, have been requested to attend."

Katarn nodded. "Have the rest of Max and Tess's Antaran ships arrived?"

"The others are remaining at Vulcan to provide cover until the Vulcan government is able to restore all communications and defenses."

Kyle nodded. "Something is coming. I can feel it."

"Me too, my friend."

"Then let's go see what's waiting," Kyle said.

They arrived by Asgard beams in a spacious room dedicated just to that purpose. Admiral O'Neill waited for them with General Chekov by his side, and Deputy Prime Minister Franklin.

Kyle blinked when he felt the worry flowing from all three. "What's happened?"

"You know that new listening post we just set up near Jupiter?" Jack said.

"Yeah?"

"It's gone. The Sol System is being invaded."

When all parties arrived in the conference room, one wall of which was composed of a transparisteel window looking down on Europe, Kyle took a long, assessing look at the alliance gathered.

He saw representatives of six separate races from three difference galaxies in one room, each in their respective uniforms (or in the case of the Asgard, lack thereof). Siana, Ostrael, Max, Tess, Michael, Isabel, Daniel and Shepherd arrived behind the rest, while O'Neill and Minister Franklin walked to the front of the room.

"Okay, people, first things first," O'Neill said. He looked to Franklin, who stepped forward and slowly looked around the room.

Her eyes started with the Antaran named Laric, then to the contingent of Imperial captains led by Antias Holon, flanked by a female Chiss captain to his right and two human male captains on his left. Then to Thor and Heimdall, who both stood in person, and finally, the deputy prime minister's eyes fell on T'Prain, newly appointed Vulcan Ambassador and cultural liaison to the UEC. "On behalf of the United Earth Commonwealth and the Free Jaffa Nation, we welcome all of you with open arms and inexpressible gratitude. During the course of this conflict, and as long after as needed, on behalf of the Prime Minister of Earth and the newly elected Prime Minister of the Jaffa nation, I formally pledge the full resources of our combined worlds to assist in maintaining your own forces. Captain Holon, I understand your ship took damage at Vulcan. Our lunar ship yards stand ready to assist you with repairs."

"I thank you, Minister," Holon said. He spoke Basic, but with the miracle of the Asgard language acquisition devices that were becoming more common, everyone understood him.

Franklin nodded to Jack and stepped back.

"Our Jovian listening post was destroyed two hours ago," Jack said abruptly. "Before it went off line, the crew managed to get an image of an attacking vessel. With the help of Minister T'Prain of Vulcan, the ship has been identified as a Romulan warbird. And no, I don't know who the Romulans are either, but evidently they have allied themselves with the Ori, and they're attacking us in force."

"How good is this intelligence, Jack? What kind of numbers are we looking at?" Kyle asked.

"Bre'tac authorized the use of a cloaked pel'tac," Jack said. "We went in and our initial scan showed at least a hundred ships. They weren't huge, but there were a lot of them."

"And your resources, if I may, Admiral?" the Chiss Imperial captain said.

"Right now, Earth has nine command carriers similar to the _Daedalus_. The Jaffa have pledged twenty ha'taks, but they don't have the upgraded shielding yet. To that we have this defense platform and two others in strategic orbital points, plus two Asgard motherships, your four star destroyers, and the two Antaran mother ships that arrived with you."

"The Vulhannu will pledge another ten ships," T'Prain said. "None are as powerful as those you describe, but nonetheless they are at your disposal."

"Thank you," O'Neill said sincerely. "So, against a hundred ships of unknown armament and capabilities we can bring forty-seven or so ships. And there's one other thing."

Kyle nodded from the back of the room. "It's a trap."

O'Neill nodded as the others in the room looked from the Jedi Master to the Admiral. "As my good friend likes to say, indeed," Jack said. "We believe that the Ori are using the threat of the Romulans to lure our fleet away from Earth so they can make a direct attack. I think they might be a bit upset about Vulcan."

"They might be at that," Kyle said.

"Their defense capabilities are not so great," Captain Holon said. "Their offensive weapons are significant, yes, but surely they are not so powerful."

Admiral Shintre, who stood near the front of the briefing, cleared his throat. With a nod from O'Neill, the former Imperial explained. "Captain, Ori shields are more powerful than any defensive shielding you've ever encountered, even stronger than planetary-level shields. The reason we were able to destroy them at Vulcan is that the Asgard took scans of the resonance torpedoes the old Galactic Alliance used when the Ori attacked our own galaxy a century or so ago. Without those torpedoes, the Ori ships could have sustained their shields even against a full barrage of star destroyer fire."

Holon absorbed the information with a quiet nod. "I see. So even if we could overwhelm such shields, their return fire would quickly undo us. Thank you for the clarification."

"We must point out that the Ori will not remain complacent about the torpedoes," Thor said. "They have all the knowledge that the Ancients do. The torpedoes are completely alien technology, which is why they have had difficulty adapting to it during the first Ori War with the Corusca Galaxy. However, given time the efficacy of such weapons may and likely will wane."

"So we need to deal with the threat from these Romulans without sapping the defense of Earth," Jack summed up. "Any ideas?"

"What are the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Romulan vessels, Minister T'Prain?" Shintre asked.

"They are considered capital ships by our standards," T'Prain said calmly. "However given the size of the vessels you possess, they are much smaller. They have powerful disruptor cannons and photon torpedoes."

"Their shielding capability, Madame?" Shintre asked.

"Stronger than ours but apparently much, much weaker than yours," T'Prain said.

"What are you thinking, Han?" Jack asked.

"I'm thinking that between Captain Holon's taskforce, our own ships and the inventory from the _Dragon's Claw_, we have access to almost a thousand fighters and easily four hundred assault shuttles. Based on what Minister T'Prain has told us, I believe one-man fighters would be sufficient to disable or destroy the Romulan threat without depleting our supply of capital ships."

Approving mutters ran around the room. Even Admiral O'Neill couldn't quite hide his grin. Then Katarn spoke. "We have an opportunity here not just to defend ourselves, but possibly strike a blow. Perhaps we can turn this trap on them."

Shintre nodded. "Of course. Make them think we took the bait, and then after they've committed, show them otherwise."

Franklin cleared her throat. "Gentlemen, I do not want to have politics rule military strategy completely, but I must insist that we cannot place Earth at risk. The damage done by the _Dragon's Claw_ four years ago had an unspeakable effect on our world. We cannot survive another such attack."

Holon shrugged. "Madam Minister, that is why all star destroyers carry shield units."

"Planetary shields," Shintre clarified. Then, quite uncharacteristically, the former Imperial grinned. "The Ori will be quite displeased with us."

* * *

_High Earth Orbit, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 10:20 a.m. GMT_

Giants aligned themselves over the skies of Earth. The three Pellaeon-class star destroyers lined up within a few thousand meters of each other like massive blades about to mow a lawn of stars. In a slightly higher tier were the two Antaran mother ships, smaller perhaps than the star destroyers but massive nonetheless. Below were the line of Terran vessels, 9 in all. Most had the same profile, save for the _Prometheus_, which was Earth's first interstellar craft and was already far in production when Earth encountered Darth Krayt.

Around the large ships floated a host of ha'taks and Vulcan security ships, newly arrived from Vulcan. The ships were collected so close together they were visible with the naked eye to most of Europe and the East Coast of the United States. It was an impressive display.

On board the Commonwealth Flagship _Odyssey_, Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill stood alone at the front of the bridge, looking through the view screen. There was no way he was going to lead this battle from behind a desk. "Admiral Shintre," he finally said, "what's the status of the shields?"

Shintre checked a readout from the central chair. As the flagship, the _Odyssey_ had two command chairs—one for the admiral, and one for Captain Emerson. Shintre nodded. "Captain Holon just informed me that his crews have completed installation of the planetary shield modules and generators. The planet is protected. They should be able to withstand at least one full barrage of Ori fire."

"Let's hope that's enough time," Jack whispered. He looked over to Kyle, who simply nodded.

"Let's do this," Jack said. "Send to the Fleet—all ships are to launch."

Shintre activated the fleet com system. "This is Admiral Shintre to the Defense Fleet. Operation is a go. Launch, launch, launch."

As one, the giants surged forward, pulling away from the combined Earth/moon gravitational field, until the star destroyers as well as the more versatile hyperdrives and warp engines of the Milky Way were able to jump away toward Europa.

The jump lasted twenty seconds. As the ships emerged from their brief hyperspace journey, the massive star destroyers immediately began to disgorge hundreds upon hundreds of smaller vessels—mostly _Predator_-class TIE fighters and much more heavily armed assault shuttles. The Commonwealth command carriers unleashed their smaller wings of F-501 Eagle space superiority fighters, while a squadron of Death Gliders emerged from the Jaffa ha'taks.

The Vulcan ships surged forward as well, since it was determined that their lack of Asgard shielding and weaker fire power would be ineffectual against an Ori assault.

Once the fighters were free, the capital ships reoriented themselves and prepared to wait.

* * *

_UEC Orbital Defense Platform Alexander Matrosov, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 10:40 a.m. GMT_

Just over twenty minutes after the combined defense fleet left, UEC Defense Force General Gregori Chekov stood before the transparisteel window of the station observation deck when he saw what looked like a storm of blue radiation block the stars before him. The general, a survivor of Afghanistan and the son of a hero of the Soviet Union for deeds done defending the mother country against Germany, felt his bowels go still and his heart freeze.

"Advise Earth to raise all shields. Do the same," the General yelled. The station command staff, aware of the encroachment seconds before the general, had already done so.

The Ori had taken the bait. The problem is, they took the bait with fifteen Ori battleships. "God preserve us," the General whispered.

He saw the center ovals of the Ori ships begin to glow when tactical informed him of the imminent firing. He dashed down from the observation deck and ordered all weapons to fire. The station, many times larger than the International Space Station, seemed dwarfed by the Ori ships. However, small or not, the station came alive with a barrage of resonance and proton torpedoes, turbolaser fire, and a cadre of naquadria-enhanced nuclear missiles.

The two closest Ori vessels received the brunt of the attack, taking the resonance torpedoes on their shields, which quickly faltered. However, their main weapons were already firing. Half of the ordinance fired by the station ceased to exist under the two white beams of death.

The station rocked so violently Chekov not only fell, he was physically thrown against a computer bank. "All shields down!" one of the techs yelled.

"Continue firing, all ordinance!" Chekov called.

One of the nuclear missiles made it through the Ori fire and impacted the nearest Ori vessel with a flash of brilliant white light. Chekov stood as every light in the station died. Without any shielding at all—"It has been an honor," he said before the shockwave struck the station and ripped it apart.

The fourteen remaining ships began to glow as they prepared to fire. No matter the power behind the shields, no planetary shielding could survive fourteen simultaneous shots from Ori ships.

Suddenly the space around the Ori erupted as the defense fleet returned home. The Ori vessels spun on their axis, and battle was joined.


	66. The Battle of Sol

Wow, thanks for all the reviews.

**Korraganitar the NightShadow**--Honestly, I know nothing about Warhammer 40K. I know it's a game. That's about it. And I admit Heaven Falls is a hodgepodge, but it's a hodgpodge with certain rules. I.E.--They either have to be on Earth in this time frame, be familiar to Earth in this time frame, or within their respective universes exist the same universe as Earth during this time frame. The one exception is Star Wars, and even then it is an AU SW in which I used the Legacy era to overcome the "Long Ago" part, and the Asgard to overcome the "far far away" part, and my fic _Gods of Dark And Light_ to establish it's in the same universe as Earth. I'm honestly not sure how WH40K would fit in. Still, I appreciate the suggestion.

**Snowfur**--They are definitely going to be in for a surprise, but it's not going to be a walk in the park. I promise. We are fast approaching the climax to Part IV and setting the stage for the final battle in Part V.

**Beth Weasley**--Yep, that about sums it up! ;)

**Roosterman71**--I'll admit I was actually stuck on Chap 65 for a long time. When I realized that there would be a Part V, however, things flowed very quickly.

**Alex**--I'm trying, I'm trying! :) Seriously, thank you very much for the post and for reading. Glad to know I'm not the only enthusiastic Roswellian out there!

**Azral**--True. But since I can't actually cross them, I can mention them in the text and use them for humor!

Already, brace yourself. The Battle of Sol is about to get started!

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Six: The Battle of Sol**

_Synchronous Orbit with Jovian moon Europa, 670,000 kilometers from Jupiter, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 10:54 a.m. GMT_

"This will be a glorious day for the Ori," the Prior said. He turned his milky eyes onto Praetor Shutok. "And for the Romulan Empire."

Shutok, like most Romulans, was a practical man. Like any Romulan worthy of attaining his lofty position, he was also an intelligent man. As such, he neither believed a word the Prior said, nor dared speak a word against it. Rather, he nodded with a forced expression of serenity on his face and watched as the majority of the Empire's resources sat hovering in orbit around an icy moon of a gas giant awaiting an attack by ships even the Ori admitted were a threat.

The Romulans were, simply put, being used as bait in a trap. That fact left a bad taste in the Praetor's mouth, but he doubted there was anything he could do about it.

"Praetor!" the tactical officer called. "We have ships on approach vector. They are coming at sublight speed."

Shutok's heavy brows furrowed. "Sublight? I thought these creatures had warp capable craft."

"The ships on approach are small, sir. One man fighters, mostly. I do scan other ships, though. Vuhlkanu, sir!"

Shutok's furrowed brows suddenly raised. "The Vuhlkanu are here? Why would they be here?"

"It does not matter," the Prior said. His voice boomed through the comfortably dim bridge of the ship. "All who do not follow the Path of Origin shall be destroyed."

"As it may be," Shutok said, his face neutral again. "Tactical, how many ships?"

There was no answer, which was highly telling. The Praetor stepped across the bridge and stood behind the man, who looked up with fear. "Sir, the ships are small, but there are so many. Over a thousand."

"Hallowed are the Ori," the Prior intoned.

* * *

_High Earth Orbit, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 11:02 a.m. GMT_

The UECS _Agamemnon_, newly commissioned, listed to its port side as the entire length of its starboard nacelle sheered away under the unbelievable firepower of the Ori attack ships. The dying command carrier fired its primary weapon, but only at a fraction of full power due to its own failing reactors.

Still, the blast was sufficient to strike the Ori ship and throw its trajectory off. The beam that was to strike the Earth ship flew past instead, grazing off the edge of the atmosphere of the Earth itself as it headed into deep space. The beam would continue unabated at an oblique angle of the solar ecliptic until it struck a planetoid-sized Kuiper Belt object.

No one aboard the _Agamemnon_ cared. A second Ori ship, itself just ahead of the UECS _Odyssey_ and _Achilles_, fired its primary weapon. The _Agamemnon_ died in a flash of white light and explosive out-gassing. At that moment a barrage of resonance torpedoes struck the Ori vessel.

"Admiral, Ori shields have not collapsed!" Captain Emerson called. "We do show that they were weakened by the torpedoes, but they are still there."

"I hate it when Thor's right!" Jack said as he stepped to Emerson's side and viewed the sensor results. In the center seat, Admiral Shintre merely nodded.

"Even so, Captain, we can still get their attention. Contact _Achilles_ and coordinate fire, both primary weapons at full power."

"Sir!" Emerson acknowledged.

O'Neill said nothing. He was the fleet admiral, but this was not his ship, and he knew better than to dally in Shintre's business. That's why he appointed the man in the first place.

The two Earth ships fired their main cannons simultaneously, tearing through the weakened Ori shields and destroying the enemy ship. "Sir, another enemy ship is firing on the surface!"

Jack looked up at the tactical screen with his heart in his throat. He saw one of the Ori ships launching its white beam toward the surface. It moved with agonizing yet deceptive slowness. The power of it was such that it caused a feedback in ship systems across the fleet, as if it had a sound transmitting through the voice. An electronic, hum-zap. "Please hold," Jack whispered.

On the surface, Kyle Katarn looked up into the burning sky and saw the streak of white coming toward him and Daniel Jackson. "The shields will hold," Kyle said.

"I hope so," Daniel muttered.

The two Force-adepts stood side by side on the porch of the Prime Minister's residence in Commonwealth, France, along with an emergency reaction team of five hundred spec-force soldiers. They knew that each of their Jedi took up similar positions of importance around the planet. Even the older apprentices were armed and in position, teamed with a knight. Michael and Izzie were in Ruby Valley. Siana and Dana Mulder stood guard in the lunar shipyards, Tess and John Shepherd were in China, Liz and Max were in Washington, while Delvin Ostrael took up station alone in Moscow.

Each led a team of rapid reaction forces, and another ten thousand stood by in England in a mile-deep bunker that now housed Roberta Lincoln's Beta-6 AI and transporter, now known as Earth Central Clearinghouse.

Behind the two Jedi, Prime Minister Charleston himself stepped out through the door, with Franklin a step behind. "That's aimed right for us."

"Yep," Kyle said.

The white beam struck the sky. Arms of superheated energy spread horizontally through the sky along the horizon of the newly installed planetary shields. "Good thing I ordered air traffic down," Charleston whispered. He looked to Kyle. "Does your Force tell you we're going to make it through this?"

"The Force is in turmoil," Kyle said absently. "There will be a price to pay. There always is."

Suddenly the snow-covered grass before the residence took on a white shimmer and a loud clang rang through the air. When the shimmer was gone, a thousand figures in dark armor and staves stood before the residence of the Prime Minister of Earth.

"Beachhead!" Kyle shouted. "Daniel, get the Ministers to safety!"

A thousand staves turned toward the porch and fired. Daniel Force-pushed both Charleston and Franklin back from the opening with enough power to sprain Franklin's wrist, but he did not hesitate a moment. He grabbed them both as they regained their feet and dragged them toward the door. A cadre of heavily armed spec-force personnel fell in behind them.

On the porch, Kyle shot up into the air as the thousand beams vaporized the opening and the entire center floor of the residence. His purple lightsaber sprang to life, but even he knew he couldn't withstand that type of firepower by himself. Staves, he remembered from a lifetime ago, were difficult to deflect.

Suddenly five modified hover assault vehicles swept around the palace from the landing pad behind it. All had been on high alert during the battle in orbit. The modified Apache gunships flew sideways to the main ground force and unloaded their full ordnance of rockets. The Hydra 70 rockets were primitive compared to the potential energy output of a stave, but even bows and arrows could kill. Five pairs of nineteen rockets each launched a total of one hundred and ninety rockets with warheads that burst in the air directly over the Ori soldiers with submunitions of superheated shrapnel.

The entire enemy force scattered under the fire. Stave fire lashed out in return, immediately taking one of the Apaches down, but the other four opened fire with their 30 mm cannons.

A white light flashed once more in the middle of the field just as Kyle used Antaran-augmented Force to hover to the ground in front of the residence. The figure that emerged was clad in white and carried a long staff. Two more flashes of light on either side provided two more figures. Kyle remained still as the three Priors left the battlefield. Behind them, more soldiers began to materialize just as the rapid response forces took up flanking positions and Roberta beamed in reinforcements from England.

"Kyle Katarn," the lead Prior called. "The time of your reckoning has come. You will either follow the path of Origin, or you will die this very day."

Kyle shrugged. "Today's as good a day as any."

* * *

_Synchronous Orbit With Jovian moon Europa, 670,000 kilometers from Jupiter, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 11:25 a.m. GMT_

Colonel Cameron Mitchell pulled hard on the controls of his F-501. The _Eagle_, named for its forward-swept wings and the protruding turbolaser and photon torpedo mounts on its belly that made it look like a plummeting bird of prey, responded instantly. The internal dampening system adopted from Imperial TIE fighters negated what should have been sufficient _g_-force to reduce the colonel to putty.

He hit the release and watched with satisfaction as a proton torpedo ripped into the aft section of another Romulan war bird.

"Earth pilot in ship 3345, what is your name and rank?"

Cameron realized the velvet female voice was speaking to him. "Cam Mitchell, Colonel, Commonwealth Defense Fleet. Who is this?"

"Major Theiri Pendala of His Majesty's Imperial Navy. Our commanding officer just died. Who is senior officer in your forces?"

Cam checked off the frequencies. "Well I'll be," he muttered. "Major, it unfortunately appears I am. Colonel Zhou has been shot down. These buggers are tougher than we thought."

"Well, Colonel, do you have any suggestions?"

Cam reviewed his recent experiences. The enemy ships appeared designed for a frontal attack. They were relatively fast for their size, but nowhere near as agile as the fighters, Earth or otherwise.

"Let's designate targets and attack from the rear," Cam said. "We have Imperial-style recognition protocols from the _Dragon's Claw._ Are you reading us?"

"I have entered your profiles in our systems," Pendala said. "I have forwarded them to the rest of our fighters."

"Okay. I'll take the thirty ships on the left, you take the thirty on the right. Jaffa and Earth ships with me, Imperials with you."

"Sounds reasonable," Pendala said. The swarm of fighters suddenly left off the attack, leaving the Romulan ships bewildered and stunned. Forty of the warbirds had already fallen.

The swarm gathered into a cloud of fighters and parted, coming in fast from behind the Romulan fleet. The Romulan ships reacted as fast as they could to this new approach, but not before the combined fire power of multiple squadrons started hitting individual ships directly into the impulse manifolds.

As the first two ships exploded under the new assault, Cam howled. "Yahoo. Terry Pen-a-dala, I love you!"

* * *

_High Earth Orbit, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 11:21 a.m. GMT_

"How many do we have left, Han?" Admiral O'Neill asked.

"Eight enemy vessels remain," Admiral Shintre responded.

At the same time, Captain Emerson called out a string of orders. The _Odyssey_ swung in a mad tilt, simultaneously flying forward at a 45-degree tilt to the planetary horizon. "Fire all engines, full burst!" Emerson ordered.

The carrier surged forward so quickly even the dampening fields had difficulty adjusting, and everyone on the bridge had to brace themselves. The Ori beam passed so closely the shielding lit up.

"Admiral Shintre, the _Bastion_ is reporting heavy damage. All their primary weapons are off line."

"My respects to Captain Diadel, and advise her to withdrawal. We have to preserve the Star Destroyers as long as possible. Advise the HMS _Jaina_ and _Corusca _to provide covering fire."

"Aye, sir," the Fleet Coordinator confirmed. Jack moved to the tactical board to Shintre's left where the FC was stationed and watched as two behemoth moved in front of another, as the _Jaina_ and _Corusca_ positioned themselves with all sixteen of their combined superlasers pointed directly at the Ori threat. The ship they were facing still had full shields. That didn't stop the Imperial ships from lashing out with sixteen blasts from their main superlaser turrets.

Even fully shielded, the kinetic as well as energetic output of the blasts was sufficient to knock the Ori vessel completely off course and knock its shielding out as effectively as a resonance torpedo. A pair of pel'tacs uncloaked out of nowhere and unleashed a volley of naquedah-enhanced torpedoes. "Go Teal'c," O'Neill whispered.

From a thousand meters north of the horizon, one of the two Antaran motherships lit up the panel that ran the circumference of the saucer-shaped ship and unleashed a beam of white light similar in appearance to that of the Ori themselves. The unshielded and damaged Ori vessel collapsed into a ball of fire.

"Sir, we're losing the _Perseus_," the FC called.

"Emergency beam out," Emerson called out. On the tactical board, the carrier in question crumpled through the center as it moved into an Ori beam that was traveling down to the planet. The captain sacrificed himself and his crew for the planet below. "We captured 53."

"We're down to five Ori vessels," the Fleet Coordinator called out. He started taking a roll of their losses. "All defensive platforms have been lost. We've lost the _Icarus_, _Agamemnon_ and _Perseus_. Minister Teal'c reports ten ha'taks lost. The _Prometheus_, _Ajax, and Achilles_ have suffered major damage and have withdrawn. The HMS _Bastion_ and one of the Antaran vessels have also withdrawn. We have three fully functioning Terran ships, a single Antaran vessel, eleven ha'taks, three star destroyers, and an Asgard mothership."

"Then let's end this," Shintre said. "Designate remaining Ori vessels as Targets 1 through 5 and assign each two capital ships. I want the sky clear."

The Ori vessels, sensing perhaps that the end was near, turned their primary weapons not toward the approaching defensive fleet, but toward Earth.

"All ships weapons free," Shintre ordered. "Take them out!"

A maelstrom of destruction seared through the heavens above Earth toward the Ori ships. The first two, unshielded, crumpled. The defense fleet moved their concentrated fire onto the next ships. However, the remaining three still got shots off, sending beams of white light streaking toward the surface before they too fell.

Author's Note: The battle is not over.


	67. The Price of Light

**Alex**--Fortunately I've been posting twice a week, so you don't have long to wait. Although Atlantis itself won't be a major part, it does get mentioned toward the end. However, SGA players are already here. John Shepherd is a Jedi and Rodney and Zalenka will be showing up early in Part V.

**Snowfur**--If you think that was bad, you better read this chapter with one eye closed...

**Roosterman71**--I try. The battles in this conflict will be on a much more personal scale than what I did in Gods of Dark and Light. I think in a real way that does make them more immediate.

Thank you all for reading and for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Price of Light**

_Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 4:20 a.m. MST (11:20 a.m. GMT)_

Maria woke with a scream.

Billy jumped from the bed, as startled as she was. "Maria, what's wrong?"

Outside, a crack of lightening flashed across the sky. Maria ignored Bill and climbed out of bed. It had been a mark of desperation, calling him. He came anyway, as he always did. That was the difference between Michael and Billy. After meeting Kyle Katarn, Michael dedicated himself to something larger than the two of them, while Billy dedicated himself just to her.

She turned on the television as another crack of lightning flashed across the sky. "It's just a storm," Billy said, trying to comfort her. "Though I don't remember any reports of rain tonight."

She ignored him. On every channel, it was the same. Billy stopped talking to himself as he also realized what was happening. On every channel, it showed images through a telescope of a war in heaven. And every so often a beam of light came searing down from the heavens to impact something just over the Earth's surface.

She turned the sound up.

"…that's right, Dawn. The Prime Minister and staff at Commonwealth have been relocated to safety by elements of the Special Investigation Unit. These agents, who call themselves 'Jedi,' were specially trained by the hero of Doomsday, Kyle Katarn, and have been instrumental in fighting back several pockets of invading armies. These 'Ori' soldiers are fanatical, and fight to the last man."

A corner of the screen zoomed away from the report to the woman who must have been Dawn. "Jack, I'm going to break in here. Commonwealth and US officials report that Ori troops have landed here in the United States in both Washington D.C. and here in Nevada, a few hundred miles south of Las Vegas, near a Commonwealth research site called Ruby Valley. Both Commonwealth and U.S. armed forces are responding. All residents near those areas are urged to stay in your homes and take cover as you would for bad weather. Stay away from…."

Billy blinked. "Maria, what are you doing?"

"Didn't you hear?" Maria said. "They're at Ruby Valley."

"Where's that?"

"It's where Michael is!"

Billy froze. "Maria," he whispered, his hurt throbbing in his face.

Maria felt her eyes burn. "I thought this was enough," she whispered. "I thought the fame and money and you would be enough." She paused long enough to grab not her fur-lined coat, but just a plain black warm-weather coat off her rack, a pair of sneakers and her purse, and then she was out of the apartment.

Billy remained standing in the living room, watching on TV as his world fell apart.

* * *

_Commonwealth, France, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 11:35 a.m. GMT_

As Kyle Katarn fought for his life in the burning city of Commonwealth, he realized that the enemy strategy was never to destroy the entire Earth fleet, although that was always a risk.

The strategy was to get as many Priors on the surface of the planet as possible.

"Kyle," Roberta's voice said into his ear through the earpiece adhered to his head. He ducked a swing of one Prior's staff, lashed a second with Force lightning and kicked a third. "The shipyards had no Prior contacts. I've beamed Siana and Dana back to you with reinforcements."

A fourth Prior cracked the ground under Kyle's feet. He harnessed the Force and launched himself into the air while spraying white lightning over them all. "Okay," he managed to gasp. "The Prime Minister is under direct attack. Defend him at all costs."

"Understood. Everyone else has reported heavy Prior contact. Devlin's suffering a bit in Moscow."

"Ship Siana to him," Kyle said. "We can't lose Moscow either."

A staff snuck through his defenses and seared his arm. He Force-pushed the Prior off his feet, but five more took his place. So far, Kyle counted ten Priors just in Commonwealth, and so far eight of those faced him.

He Force-pulled one of the Priors to him and spun around, severing the man's head. A flash of fire followed, reducing the number against him to seven.

Suddenly, the skies above burned white. Smoke and clouds turned incandescent as the fires of the Ori beams struck the planetary shielding of the planet. An explosion billowed over the buildings of the city to the south, where one of the shield generators had been installed. The sky above blinked, and as quickly as it came the fire passed.

The shields were down.

The humming-zing of Ori transporters rang through the air. "Roberta!" Kyle called.

"Ori soldiers are materializing all over the place. I'm sorting reinforcements as best I can. Admiral Shintre just reported the…"

Kyle diverted his attention from her voice to the invisible field of energy directed against them. He braced himself with the Force and pushed back. The trampled snow vaporized and the ground cracked. The pain of the combined assault seared through Kyle's mind. "Not yet!" he yelled, and broke through the attack. He shoved out a hand, Force-pushed two men back and struck a third with such an overwhelming blast of white Force lightning the prior erupted into flame on the spot.

Stave fire seared the air over his head. He ducked and sprinted toward the remnants of the Prime Minister's residence. That's when he looked up and spotted them—wave after wave of attack craft. Many were converted hover attack ships, others still the old Earth rotor-driven helicopters, hundreds of them diving in to confront the latest assault of Ori troops.

"Master Katarn!" Kyle spun and saw Daniel running around the building. "Reinforcements just arrived. We have the Prime Minister away to safety. Dana's gone with him. Heavy infantry are on the way here."

"The priors?"

"There were two," Daniel said. "We were having some problems, but Siana was able to help take one out before she beamed to Moscow. Dana and I were able to handle the second."

The younger man popped his head up and surveyed the enemy. "They really want you, don't they?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Kyle whispered. "They want me."

"Master?" Then Daniel felt it as well. It was a pressure in the Force, but like nothing he'd ever sensed before. It felt almost like a strong cold front blowing through, pulling the air pressure down. He turned and saw Kyle's eyes far away, remembering something from another life.

In front of them, as Terran forces battled Ori soldiers, a line of six Priors stood untouched in the middle of what used to be the lawn of the Prime Minister's residence. Their white robes were immaculate, the crystals on their staffs glowed brightly. Just in front of them stood a lithe young woman with rich black hair and a perfectly formed face.

She wore a revealing variant of the Ori soldier's leather uniform, with bare arms. Her skin was olive-toned, and she shone with power and beauty.

"_These are the dreaded Jedi?"_

_Kyle found himself a lifetime ago, standing in the control room of Centerpoint Station. Around him were beloved friends and colleagues. Luke and Anakin Skywalker, Mara Jade, Ekria, Darana, Tallisibeth and Kir Kanos. _

_They stood facing a woman of breathtaking beauty clad in a gown of white, with long, curving yellow hair held back by a tiara of gold. From her neck hung a necklace adorned with a glowing white stone._

"_These are the dreaded Jedi?" this woman said. The sarcasm was as thick as the pressure in the Force that pushed at all of them just from her mere presence. "Honored Doci, how could such pitiful creatures pose any threat to us?"_

"Master Katarn?" Daniel asked.

Kyle stood, pulling the Force to him as he calmed himself. The clothes were different. Her appearance was radically different. She was a different shell, to be sure. But the feral yellow eyes and the fires burning within her were the same.

"You are not welcome on this world, Orici," Kyle Katarn called.

Daniel started to follow, but felt Kyle push him back with the Force.

The young woman's face was composed, her chin lifted in a haughty, confident pose. "I am the Will of the Ori. And the time of reckoning has come, Kyle Katarn. For the many sins you have committed against the Ori, you will die this day."

As Kyle stepped out to meet her, Daniel felt a sudden burning in the back of his head. "_Say nothing!"_ he heard his Master's voice whisper in his mind.

"I have cheated death for many years," Kyle said. "I'm afraid of it no longer. But be warned, Orici. I am not the same Jedi your sister faced so long ago. The Jedi of this galaxy are far stronger. The dead Priors you sent here are proof of that. I will not be so easy to kill."

"It will be easy enough," she whispered. She lifted her hand. The molecules in the air itself around Kyle caught fire.

Kyle held up both hands and formed a bubble of Force power around himself. The fire began to push.

Daniel ducked under a fallen pillar and used the Force and his own hands to dig a trench. The air above him began streaking by with flame. He looked behind them as windows in the residence began to shatter and walls began to blister under the onslaught.

Daniel tried to feed Force energy to Kyle, but instead the burning in the back of his mind resumed, even stronger. Between the pain in his mind and the fire in the air, it was all Daniel could do to summon the Force in a bubble around himself just to breath. In the distance, the front wall of the mansion didn't just catch fire, it imploded as if pushed in on itself by the Orici's power.

As quickly as it came, the fire ended. Daniel risked a peek over the steaming pillar and saw Kyle kneeling on the ground, his head up. The Priors and the young lady called Orici had walked closer. She was sneering down at Kyle now, her face cocked in a half smile. "Even as more than a Jedi, you are still less than the Ori," she said.

"Kill me, and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine," Kyle said.

"I think not," the Orici said. "Even the gods of this galaxy are weak."

Suddenly Kyle launched himself to his feet. Lightsaber forgotten, he lifted both hands and with a yell unleashed the most powerful torrent of Force lightning Daniel had ever seen, or even imagined.

The seven Priors to a man reared back in surprise and shock, and one by one flashed into a ball of flame. When at last it was done, only the Orici remained. Her sneer had become a grimace of rage. "How dare you!" she snarled.

"Your ships are destroyed, your forces are being obliterated," Kyle snarled back. "You have lost this battle."

The woman's snarl morphed back into a sneer. "You think I have lost? You think fifteen ships are all we could bring against you? You Jedi. You have always given yourself far more credit than you deserve."

She flicked a hand. With a grunt, Kyle flew backward off the ground, across five meters, to land with a hollow thud two meters past the pillar Daniel hid in. The Orici strode forward, stepping over the pillar. She looked down at Daniel and then continued forward, dismissing him as unimportant.

For the first time in his life, Daniel found himself thankful to be dismissed. She flicked her hand again, but this time Kyle crossed his arms, leaned forward and resisted the blow with the Force.

"You may kill my body today," Kyle said, "but you will never destroy me." His voice was drawn and hoarse. "The Ori will no longer be tolerated!"

The Orici lifted a hand. Again Kyle braced himself. The ground around him cracked and sunk two feet under the terrible blow. Kyle remained standing, but swayed dangerously.

"The Ori are eternal," Orici said. Her voice was as smooth and beautiful as Kyle's was strained and ugly sounding. "The Ori are all powerful, all knowing." She flicked her hand. Kyle braced himself yet again, but this time stumbled backward.

Daniel's breath caught in his chest and tears welled in his eyes. Once again he tried to reach out with the Force, and once more he felt a burning in the back of his mind, and felt his master's admonition to do nothing.

* * *

_High Earth Orbit, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 12:29 p.m. GMT_

"We've suffered heavy casualties," Admiral Shintre reported. He and Admiral O'Neill stood on the bridge of the _Odyssey_ as around them they surveyed what remained of the fleet. "The _Ajax_ is so damaged it will require a tractor to the shipyards for repair. The _Achilles_ will also need a complete refit, and Captain Martinez is reporting that the _Prometheus_ may be a complete loss."

"But we held them," Jack said. "Any word from the Europa expedition?"

"All enemy ships destroyed, thirty-eight percent casualties. The senior Imperial officer voluntarily ceded command to your Colonel Mitchell."

"Mitchell's a good pilot," Jack said. "Not too subtle, but a very good pilot. Have the _Daedalus _go out for recovery duties."

"Yes, sir."

"Admirals!" Captain Emerson's voice rang out over the bridge followed a moment later by alert claxons. "Enemy ships have arrived in system. Ori motherships."

"How many?"

Emerson swallowed, and in a weary voice, he said, "Twenty."

* * *

_Commonwealth, France, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 12:30 p.m. GMT_

"Do you feel that, puny Jedi?" the Orici whispered to Kyle. "Do you feel my ships in orbit? Your planet's shields are gone. Your fleet is in tatters. Did you honestly think you could resist the will of the Ori? This planet and all its people will walk the Path of Origin, or everyone here will die."

"Not today," Kyle growled. Just as the Orici's eyes held a feral yellow color, the eyes of the Jedi Master glowed suddenly green as the Force coalesced around him. Even the Orici backed up a step, surprised.

Lightning flashed from his hands. The ground shook beneath their feet, and in Daniel's mind, he heard his master's voice. _I give it all to you. Guard it well._ A moment later Daniel's world exploded into a sheen of white fire.

The Orici cried in pain, but did not stop her attack. The air once more caught fire, and the vortex of that fire centered directly on Kyle Katarn. The pain in Daniel's head faded, and he was able to look up as the Orici poured the full wrath of the Ori directly onto the lone Jedi Master.

"Master," Daniel whispered. He watched as Kyle's Force shield failed, and as the fire began burning away his body. Still he stood, fighting back and lashing out at the Orici. She cried out louder, the fire intensified, and Kyle burned. Somehow, someway, he fought on.

Suddenly the Jedi Master's right arm simply dissolved into the flame. Yet, somehow it remained as a glowing blue echo. It was then that Daniel realized what was happening. Kyle Katarn was ascending even as he fought the Ori. And when his physical body was gone at last and he remained as a fully ascended being, he would fight the Ori as an equal.

"Daniel," a voice whispered. He looked around, but saw no one. However, he definitely heard a voice. A familiar voice. "We cannot allow Kyle to fight her as an ascended," Oma Desala whispered. "If he does so, the barrier will be broken, and the Ori will strike directly. This world, this galaxy, will die."

Only a shard of Kyle's physical body remained. And suddenly that was gone as well. The fire died as a brilliant flash of white light pushed the Orici back. Where before stood the faltering Kyle Katarn, now Daniel saw a being of pure, brilliant white light.

* * *

High Earth Orbit, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 12:35 p.m. GMT

"Ori ships have assumed an attack position," the Fleet Coordinator called. "Every one of our ships is targeted by one or more enemy vessels."

"Shield status?" Emerson called out.

The ship's tactical officer said, "Forty-eight percent. We could withstand maybe one more direct hit. All other ships report similar shield status."

In the front of the bridge, Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill stood with his arms across his chest and his chin set. "Any resonance torpedoes left?" he asked.

"Less than a dozen across the fleet," Shintre said. "We expended many more than we anticipated since the Ori upgraded their shields."

"Then there's no hope for it," O'Neill said. "We have to protect Earth. At all costs."

Shintre nodded. "It has been a good home for me these past four years. It's appropriate, considering the damage I did, that I die for it today." He flicked a switch. "All Commonwealth vessels damaged or whole, select a target and prepare for ramming speed while firing primary weapons. All other ships, we ask that you fight for as long as you are able."

"_Odyssey_, this is Holon. The _Fel's Pride,_ _Jaina_ and _Corusca_ will fight to the end. We have not known each other long, Admiral O'Neill, but it has been an honor to know you and fight at your side."

"The honor is mine, Captain," O'Neill said. "Thank you all for everything you have done."

O'Neill nodded, and Shintre gave the order. Suddenly Thor was there with a flash of light. "Admiral O'Neill," Thor said. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to ram the enemy," Jack said. "Why, got a better idea?"

"To quote a mutual friend, it is better to destroy the enemy without blowing your own ships up in the process," the Asgard said.

The Fleet Coordinator sat up. Then he stood up. "Ships coming in. Ships coming in! Allied ships!"

"Calm yourself," Shintre said. "A compressed report, if you please."

"I shall assist," Thor said. "With help from the Antar Confederacy employing tactics provided by Jedi Master Katarn, we have finally defeated the Replicators in our galaxy. We now stand ready to assist Earth as they have assisted us in the past."

The Fleet Coordinator switched the main view to solar north of the planet just above the line of Ori ships, as fifteen Asgard motherships materialized from hyperspace, followed by another seven Antaran saucers.

"Okay, that's a better idea," O'Neill said. He looked at Thor. "God, I love you guys."

"I shall take that under advisement," Thor said, before disappearing in a flash of light.

* * *

_Commonwealth, France, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 12:30 p.m. GMT_

The Orici stood, her chest heaving, her face incensed. "Strike at me, coward!" she shouted at the ascended form of Kyle Katarn. "Strike at me if you dare!"

And Kyle was going to. Daniel could feel it. This was no Ascended being like Oma. Kyle was a Jedi. While a servant of peace, he was also a server of justice. And the Ori deserved justice.

Justice was precisely what couldn't happen.

Realizing what he had to do, Daniel jumped from his hiding place and rushed out onto the field, throwing himself between the two combatants. "Master, no!" he shouted. "You can't!"

A velvet voice, like a waterfall, if a waterfall could speak in Kyle Katarn's voice, said, "Daniel, it is time. Move away."

"She is a shell for the Ori power!" Daniel said. "If you strike at her as an ascended being and destroy the shell, then the Ori will strike back directly. The other ascended beings will not let that happen. They will destroy the world before they allow the Ori to have that power. Please, Master, don't do this!"

"Shut up, you worm," the Orici snarled.

Daniel turned to her, stunned not just by the power, but also the beauty the power was housed in. "Take me," he said. "I surrender. You've destroyed Master Katarn's body. He's dead. You won the battle. Please, take me and leave."

"We will not leave a single being alive on this planet," she said. "I don't need you."

In the distant heavens, Daniel looked up to see flashes of light. Cronau discharges. He reached out through the Force, and felt the new arrivals. "I think not," he said. He took a deep breath and locked eyes with her again. "If your fleet fights, the Asgard and Antarans will destroy them. You could destroy Earth, but you would destroy your own fleet and you yourself. If your shell dies, what happens to you? You're a vehicle for the Ori. You have no soul. If you die right now, you, personally, will cease to exist. Take me, now, and you win the day and preserve your fleet."

"Daniel," Katarn's voice came from the light. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving the galaxy," Daniel said without looking away from the Orici. "I'm giving myself to the Orici."

"This war is not over," she warned.

"It is only beginning," Daniel agreed.

She looked over him, glaring at the brilliance hovering just over his shoulder. Then, in the blink of an eye, she and Daniel were gone.

The light remained hovering over the ground a moment. "Well done, padawan," Kyle's voice flowed out like a gentle breeze.

The Ori ships in orbit spun around on their axis. Sensing this was their only chance to deal a true blow to Ori power, the Asgard and Antaran ships opened fire. Three Ori ships exploded while the remaining seventeen escaped into hyperspace.

Below, in France, a second light joined the first. "It is time, Master Katarn," Oma Desala said. "He will succeed, as only a Jedi born of this galaxy could."

"I know."

The two lights flared, and then in an instant were gone. As they faded, the last shots were fired, the last Ori soldiers fell, and the Battle of Sol came to a quiet, painful end.


	68. Fallen

**TwilightG**--Thank you for reading. Yes, it is pretty long. Over 240,000 words, which is my personal longest story to date. As for being a cocktail, you're right but there are limits. My rules are 1) It has to by its own cannon be on Earth, or in the same cannon galaxy as earth, as of January 2002. So all my ST elements are elements that by ST cannon were on or in the same galaxy as Earth in 1/2002. So, no B5. Rule 2) No Self referencing. If I mention B5 or Independence Day, then I can't include those shows. I know Teal'c loves Star Wars, so that was renamed to meet that rule.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.

**New Age Experiment**--Siana is next in terms of Seniority. That said, she won't have the kind of authority or power with the Earth Government that Kyle had simply because of her age.

Thank you all for reading and for your reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: Fallen**

_Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday, November 20, 4 CE, 5:30 a.m. MST (12:30 p.m. GMT)_

Maria had never driven so fast, with such ease. The roads were abandoned not only because of the hour, but because of the war. The pre-dusk sky shimmered with thousands of specks of light that moved much faster than they should have. Falling stars streaked through the air as pieces of dead ships fell through the atmosphere.

She pushed the Lexus to over a hundred and ripped through the empty roads towards Ruby Valley. It was only as she approached that she saw signs of other life in the form of a police barricade. In the distance, she could see the sparking towers of Ruby Valley, and she could see flashes of red, gold and green lights and explosions as Michael and his allies fought the invaders.

"Ma'am, you should not be out here!" a spooked Nevada state trooper said. "We have enemy alien forces on the ground not five miles away. Get that pretty car of yours home."

"My boyfriend is down there!"

"Then your boyfriend is an idiot!" the trooper said.

"I know!" Maria snapped back. She hit the accelerator peddle and ran right through the wooden barrier as the cursing troopers tried following. She half expected them to shoot at her, but they didn't bother. She realized they were even more terrified than she was, and had no intention of getting any closer.

As she drove closer, a cloud of hover gunships flew directly over her head and unleashed a volley of rockets. Maria couldn't help but scream even as she drove faster. From the midst of the explosions on the edge of the city a narrow ball of gold light lashed out and slammed into one of the gunships, followed by a second and a third. Three of the dozen or so gunships exploded mid-air and fell like flaming rocks around her.

Maria forgot to scream this time as she deftly maneuvered the Lexus around the crashes. She loved Michael, but she loved her Lexus more.

She drove through a cloud of smoke and debris, and finally let up off the gas. The car rolled to a stop as she saw the impossible.

Michael Guerin flew. His arms spread like wings, a green lightsaber in each hand like talons, his legs spread; Michael flew through the air toward a scary looking guy in a white robe and a staff. The other guy looked like a beardless Gandalf. Fire burst out of the staff, just like Maria would have expected from a wizard, but Michael batted the flames away with just a hand, landed before the white-robe in the middle of an army of crazy alien invaders, and started hacking at the wizard.

Around the rest of the army soldiers in that funky new armor of theirs poured out of the city gates or soared overhead on grav belts and backpacks, and started hammering away at the invaders. The surviving gunships added to the chaos even as Michael swirled his green blades so fast to Maria they looked like a whirl. She realized then that Michael was moving almost as fast as Kyle Katarn did in Santa Fe years ago, when she first saw a Jedi fight.

Michael Guerin, the pathetic boy from the trailer park who used to flip burgers at the Crashdown and who could barely pass chemistry, was a Jedi Knight defending the Earth, and Maria.

Naturally it was just as she realized this that a shot gunship fell on her car.

When she could see again, weak sunlight was drifting in through the shattered windshield of her beloved but destroyed Lexus. She felt something wet on her cheek and when she touched it and looked at her fingers, it was blood. "Owe," she whispered.

"Hold on," a woman's voice said. She heard a groan of bending metal as the shattered gunship rolled off the car. A moment later, the door popped open and fell away.

"Isabel?" Maria asked, dazed.

Maria didn't understand the strange expression on Isabel's face. "My name is Izzie. Izzie Stevens. I'm Isabel's sister," she said. She very gently took Maria's hand and pulled her from the car. "You must be Maria."

"Michael talked about me?"

"He loves you very much," Izzie said, again with an unreadable expression. "Hold still." She closed her eyes and held a hand to Maria's face. The dizziness and sharp pain faded almost instantly.

"You can heal, like Max?"

"Better," Izzie said. "I'm a doctor, so I know how to use the power. It just took some Force training to unlock it." She moved, and then knelt down beside Maria as Michael walked across the battle ground toward them.

"You are very lucky," Izzie said. "He is a great man."

Maria studied her savior, and suddenly understood. Michael and Isabel were programmed to love each other. She had originally disrupted that programming. This Izzie obviously had the same programming, and just as obviously Maria was disrupting it again.

Michael stopped before them and plopped down cross-legged. His face was streaked with grime and ash, and it looked like some of his hair had been burned away. He was bleeding from a dozen spots, and wore a deeply saddened smile. "Master Katarn is dead," he said. "I felt him pass into the Force."

Beside Maria, Izzie nodded. "I felt it, I just didn't understand what it meant."

"It means we've lost our leader. The mantle will fall to Siana now, with Max as her second." Michael turned and looked at Maria.

"Why did you come?"

"I don't know," Maria said. "I saw on TV that Ruby Valley was under attack, and I just came. Even ran a road block. I guess I was being stupid."

"You were," Michael agreed. "Without training, they would have killed you without a second's hesitation, just to remove a potential Jedi. You risked your life."

"I came for you," she said.

Looking from Maria to Michael, Izzie quietly stood and walked away. Maria watched her go. "She loves you."

"She has a very open heart. She loves anyone who deserves to be loved."

"Nice answer."

Michael grinned. "Yeah, I worked on that one a bit."

She started to touch him, and the energy crackled across her arm. "This really, really scares me, Michael," she whispered.

"I know," he said.

"I don't want to be an alien monster."

"You never will be. Talk to Liz. She's still the same girl you've always known. Only now she has three kids and a fourth on the way. And she can lift cars with her mind."

She looked down at her sneakers. "I thought the money and the music would be enough. I really thought that."

"Once upon a time I thought money would be enough too," Michael said. "Then Master Katarn showed me how much more I could do. How much I was needed. And now I'm here, Maria, telling you how much I need you. We need you as a Jedi, but I need you as Maria. I love you."

Maria covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. "Why is everything with you so hard?" she snapped despite her tears.

"Because if it weren't, it wouldn't be us." He leaned forward until his lips were inches from hers. "You burn hard and bright. It can burn, but you illuminate my soul. I need you."

She glared. "You read that in a romance novel! Michael Guerin, are you quoting trashy romance novels to me?"

"Yeah. Is it working?"

"Oh yeah!" She wrapped his head in her arms, pulled him down, and kissed him with a bright, burning kiss.

* * *

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Friday, November 24, 4 CE, 2:43 a.m. MT_

Siana Delun sat cross-legged on the floor of her office atop the Ruby Valley Central Administration tower. A sliver of moonlight peeked down from the western heavens while the stars glistened in the cold winter air.

That was of course not the only reason they glistened. Siana took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her eyes. Kyle was gone. Her master, her guardian—the last link she had to her family—was gone.

The Prime Minister himself gave credit to Kyle Katarn for holding back the surface attack. All the other Jedi around the world fought two, maybe three Priors. Many were wounded. Tess, Shepherd and her own Delvin were all severely injured. Max spent nearly a full day healing them.

But he could not heal everyone.

While the Commonwealth licked its wounds and realized that not only had they defended themselves against the Ori assault, but had actually driven the Ori back, something finally happened. It was as if the tentative uncertainly that followed the founding of the Commonwealth passed, replaced by an unshakable faith. The people of Earth, fighting as a whole, could survive.

That was the reasoning for North Korea's petition to join the Commonwealth. That and the fact that a bolt of Ori fire broke through the planetary shielding over Pyongyang. Still, with the fall of North Korea as a standout, the final ten or so nations holding out finally gave in, and before three days passed, the entire planet Earth was unified under a single government.

The funeral ceremony for Kyle not only served to honor a fallen hero, but also to celebrate that unification. Siana tried to tell everyone that honors such as what they had planned were not proper for Jedi, but Prime Minister Charleston personally pulled her aside. "I grieve for you, Siana. But you must understand this ceremony isn't just for Kyle. In fact, it's not for him at all. It's for all of us. All of us, Siana. Do you understand?"

She did, of course, and spoke no more of it afterward. She even assented to having the Jedi Order serve as honor guard to escort the empty casket through the broken streets of Commonwealth. Max, Liz, Isabel, Michael and the rest wore their Jedi robes—the ones designed by Master Katarn. She did not need to ask them—they simply appeared for the ceremony dressed as traditional Jedi. She led the procession, side-by-side with Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill and Prime Minister Charleston himself, who walked the entire two mile procession.

Security had a fit about the Chancellor's unguarded walk, until O'Neill pointed out the Prime Minister would be surrounded by armed Jedi.

The Earth lost a total of 105,246 soldiers and fleet personnel in the battle of Sol. Civilian causalities were still undetermined but were estimated to also be in the upper hundred thousand range. The Galactic Empire, represented by the _Bastion_, lost another five thousand. The Jaffa losses were also in the thousands. And yet, the only service televised was for one man.

As she walked through the streets, surrounded on either side by silent crowds who stared with solemn faces, Siana realized that the Prime Minister was right. This service was not just for Kyle, but for all the fallen.

The entire Prime Minister's residence, with the help of Thor's mothership, was razed to the ground in a day. The sublevels were collapsed and filled it. A snow-covered field stood where the residence and the surrounding gardens once reigned. Siana knew that Charleston already planned to convert the entire grounds to a Commonwealth memorial cemetery for all those who died.

Kyle was merely the first.

Charleston, ever the consummate politician, spoke first. His eloquence and passion were reminiscent of the speech he gave four years ago following Doomsday. His words helped change the world then. Now, they helped cement those changes. The days of internal warfare on Earth were over. Today, they were a unified people.

Siana said nothing, and kept her face still, as they lowered an empty casket into the frozen soil of France.

That was two days ago. Now, Siana Delun sat alone in her office before a wall-to-wall window, looking out over the cold Nevada desert.

"You're not really alone, you know."

A sob shook her chest. She felt a warm hand on her back and looked up to see Kyle kneeling down beside her. This wasn't the old, grizzled Kyle that fought days ago. This Kyle was young, bearded and beautiful. This was the Kyle Katarn of Jedi legend, who fought the Ori with Luke Skywalker and helped turn back the Vong horde.

"I don't know how I will go on without you, Master," she said.

"By the Will of the Force," he said gently. "And by being the Jedi you have always been. You are stronger than you can imagine. You are the Master now, Siana."

"I'm barely a kid," she whispered.

"You are made wise by the Force. And you are not alone. Never alone."

She bowed her head and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I know." He took her in his arms and held her against his chest. "I will be with you, always. I will always love you, and look upon you with pride. And in the fullness of time, if it is the will of the Force, I will be there when you join me. But never, ever think that you are alone."

She nodded. "So what do we do now?"

"You fight the Ori," Kyle said. "Blood has been spilled, lines have been drawn. The Ori realize that the galaxy they expected to face is not the reality. That the Commonwealth and its allies are more powerful than they realized. But they will not stop. They will never stop."

"So how do we win a war against an enemy that will never stop?"

He leaned down until his bearded chin brushed her ear. "Find Daniel," he whispered. "He is the key."

Suddenly Siana was alone. But only for a moment. The door to her office opened, and then closed again. She felt a familiar, comforting presence as Delvin Ostrael walked around her desk and sat on the floor next to her with a bottle of Earth wine. Even with Max's healing power, the Imperial Knight looked drawn and tired. His fight in Moscow had been desperate, and only Siana's timely arrival allowed him to survive the three priors at all.

Now, he simply put an arm around her shoulder. He did not need to speak, nor did she need his words.

Outside, it began to snow.

End Part IV.


	69. PART V: Just Another Day

**Alex**--Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Although Siana isn't Earth born, she is of the same generation as the other Jedi, so you're absolutely right--the mantle has been passed on.

**Azral**--Killing Kyle wasn't an easy decision, but if you're going to go, go fighting like that. I appreciate that his end worked for you.

**John**--No worries, you have all of Part V coming. I'm very happy you're enjoying it so much and I hope you continue to. I am sad to say, though, that the posts will probably drop to one a week here in a couple of weeks. Sorry. But please rest assured that the story is finished so there will be no abandonment issues.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you. Part IV was the cliffie to set everything up for Part V. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

**Northern-megas**--Thank you, I appreciate it. While HALO is actually a pretty good idea, you won't see it in this fic for a couple of reasons--1) I don't know enough about it; and 2) It really doesn't seem to have a place in the story. I know that sounds kind of wierd given all the franchises I use, but when you think about it it's very possible within each franchise's own history that SG-1, X-Files and Roswell could all exist simultaneously, since each is a self-contained show. Similarly for the historical aspects of Star Trek, which from the sources I used could also reasonably exist. But if it wasn't around in 2002 by its own internal history, it probably won't work in this one. Still, it's a good idea and I'm sure a well-executed HALO/SG1 cross would be a good read.

And now the last part begins. Please note the two year jump.

* * *

**Part Five: Heaven Falls**

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Revelations 6-12:14

**Chapter Sixty-Nine: Just Another Day**

_Romula City, Romula, August 12, 6 CE (2008 A.D.)_

The pale, pointy-eared Romulans fled as the figure strode imperiously through the halls of the Sanctum. Built in the past year by the Romulans to honor their new gods, the Sanctum was the sole religious structure on the surface of a planet previously populated by skeptics and atheists.

The woman carried her authority about her with haughty, confident stares. Although her hair was the same color as was common among the Romulans, her skin was darker, more tan in color. Her ears marked her as unmistakably human. But like all the native followers of the Ori, the Romulans feared her immensely.

The more sinister-looking Remans ignored her. They did as the Priors asked, and so they were spared, but they showed nothing even remotely like deference. They simply were what they were.

The woman finally arrived at her destination. The two Remans on either side of the door let her in without comment and she strode down the dimly lit hall within. Every few feet were cells lined with a Romulan metallic alloy that was impervious to anything short of heavy weapons fire. Within these cells sat the dissenters, the former leaders and senators, and others waiting for judgment from the Priors.

In the last cell sat a man who had awaited such judgment for two years. As she arrived and stood before his cell, he merely sat on his bench with a blank expression on his face, his legs crossed lotus-style and his hands resting comfortable on his knees. "Daniel, how can you just sit there like that?" the woman demanded.

Daniel Jackson, Jedi knight, opened his eyes and regarded the figure before him. "Vala. You're looking well."

"You think so?" Vala Mal Doran asked with a coquettish flip of her black curls. "Adria said so this morning."

"And from her mouth, it must be true," Daniel said.

Vala paused, trying to detect if there was sarcasm intended. She couldn't tell. "So, how can you just sit there like that? You know she's going to kill you."

"I don't think so," Daniel said. "We've been talking for two years. She's been threatening me for two years. And yet here I sit."

"There you sit, like it was just another day."

"It is just another day, Vala. This and every day before it. I don't think the days will care in the slightest if I'm there to enjoy them or not. So, I sit. And remember."

"Remember what?"

Daniel remembered thousands upon thousands of lives, memories folded within memories in infinity number. He caressed pearls of knowledge so advanced even he could never hope to truly understand it all, even if he knew the facts themselves. He remembered everything his master gave him, in those precious seconds before Kyle Katarn gave his life to save Earth.

To Vala, Daniel smiled. "Random thoughts and images."

Vala sat down on the floor and put an arm through the bars. "I'm so lonely, Daniel. So scared."

"Adria will not hurt you," Daniel said. "You're the only thing she has connecting her to her humanity. As much as the fires of the Ori burn within her, she does not want to lose that connection."

"She might not, but I've seen the way the Priors look at me. I'm not sure the Ori are all that happy with me."

"They must have seen something," Daniel said. "They chose you as the vessel for their messenger."

Vala blinked at him. "You sound like Teacher Shorat."

"I've spoken with him as well for these past two years."

"Daniel," Vala said, all hint of humor gone, "I don't want to lose the only other normal human I have in my life."

"Poor Vala," Daniel said without a trace of patronage. "When I think of all those in this galaxy who have been hurt, you have suffered as much as any. Never a moment of happiness. Never a moment of joy, but what you steal for yourself."

"You could make me happy," she whispered.

Daniel's smile was sad, yet distant. "I am not for you. Nor was I for Isabel back home. I realize it now."

Vala sat up and huffed. "So who are you supposedly for?"

"I am for your daughter."

* * *

_Hong Kong, Thursday, August 14, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 1:23 a.m. Local Time_

The three men sprinted down Salisbury Road at full tilt. All three were armed with Glock Mark I Phasers—Terran-made military issue variants of the Gao'uld zat'ni'katel.

Once upon a time Hong Kong was the gateway to the East. Even after the departure of the British, it remained a vital trading hub for China and the rest of the world. But then, six years ago, in 2002 on a day history called Doomsday, an Imperial star destroyer under Sith control fired a full salvo at the Indian subcontinent.

Like most of the countries around the Indian Ocean, China suffered. Perhaps not to the extent the Malaysians did, since whole nations perished instantly in the islands, but even mighty China suffered millions of casualties.

Among those casualties was the city of Hong Kong. With many of the nations of the South Pacific and Indian Ocean decimated, trade withered. Hong Kong, already terribly damaged by the seismic effects of the barrage, could not recover. So, where in 2001 the streets would still have been bustling even past one in the morning, seven years later in year 6 of the Commonwealth Era, the still cracked streets were nearly deserted.

The only other footsteps on the streets were the two young people following the three armed gunmen.

The taller and faster of the two was a young man with a lean face and short-cropped sandy brown hair. He was seventeen and ran with a sturdy, confident step. His black slacks made absolutely no sound as his legs pumped, and the gray kimono-style shirt he wore heaved with each steady breath.

Behind him ran a girl perhaps three years younger. Her face still had the roundness of youth, but was already breathtaking in its beauty. Red hair fell in tresses around her neck, and her jade-colored eyes glinted with determination.

Both of the teenagers ran three times faster than the lean, fully-grown men in front of them, who themselves were sprinting at a respectable speed.

One of the fleeing men, realizing these teens were closing in much faster than should have been possible, turned mid-stride and fired his weapon three times.

The shots were not random. They were fired with precision that spoke of training and skill.

The young man removed a cylinder from the wide, supple belt around his waist without breaking stride and activated a cerulean beam of energy. The lightsaber intersected all three bursts of phaser fire and sent them ricocheting into the early morning darkness.

The red-headed girl held out one hand, and suddenly one of the tiny parked cars that lined the street skidded directly in front of the men. The leader had no time to avoid it and ran full speed into the two-seat vehicle. The other two leaped it without pause.

The young man paused long enough to kick the fallen man in the head once to ensure he stayed down, and then somersaulted over the car. The girl followed with her own somersault—both cleared the car by a meter without slowing down.

"For crying out loud!" the young man finally called in American English. He stopped, reached out with both hands, and then made a motion of pulling back on ropes. Both the fleeing men's feet flew backwards out from under them, landing each face-first into the street.

The girl caught up breathing normally, as if they hadn't just sprinted the past two miles. "I was wondering if you were ever going to figure out to do that, John," she said.

John O'Neill turned and glared. "So why didn't you do it, Hannah Hosannah?"

"I couldn't catch up," she said. "Even with the Force, your legs are longer."

The two men spun around on the cement with their phasers ready, but froze when the weapons flew from their hands—one to John's hand, one to Hannah's. "Master, I have them," John said into his earpiece.

"We have them," Hannah corrected.

"Chinese authorities will be there in a few moments," Max Evan's voice told them both. "We have the rest of the cell under arrest and the stolen weapons have been recovered. Well done, Padawans."

"Yeah, about that padawan business," John said. "Are you sure you have to call us that? Couldn't you just say Junior Jedi or something like that? Or Justice League? Padawan is a really goofy sounding word."

"You're a goofy guy, so it suits you perfectly," Hannah said.

John O'Neill, the 17-year-old clone of a certain famous Fleet Admiral Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, glared. "Little girl, I'll have you know I have fifty years of experience in this body."

"And yet you're still goofy," Hannah said with a disarming smile. "Wonder why that is?"

"Children," Max said, "play later. Chinese police now." And just then, three Chinese police cars arrived. Their red and blue lights flashed across the buildings.

John and Hannah both bowed and, in Chinese made perfect by Asgard language implants known as LADs, explained who they were and what they were doing. The police bowed back, thanked the two Jedi profusely, and then threw the terrorists into the back of the car.

The two Jedi started jogging easily back to the rest of their SIU squad. "So, you catch the game?"

Hannah laughed. "Yeah. Yet another century without a Cubs championship."

"Just wait till next year," John said.

"They've been saying that for over a hundred years."

"And it's just as true now as then," John corrected. He slowed a little bit. "You realize this was probably a warm-up," he said.

Hannah slowed as well and looked up. Even with the lights of the city, the orbital defense stations were still visible. "You think they'll ship you out?"

"I may only look seventeen, but I have all the memories of Admiral O'Neill," John said. "I've seen war. I've been to other planets. And though the Admiral wouldn't care to explore it this close to retirement, I have the Force too. It's only a matter of time."

Hannah nodded, and somberly reached out and took his hand. He looked back, and nodded. "Better not let Cassie see you holding my hand."

"Or what? If you even tried to convince her I'd sleep with you she'd laugh in your face."

John didn't bother to deny it. Hannah may have had the wisdom of Jedi upbringing, but her natural mother, aside from being an Antaran clone and a Jedi Knight, was also a doctor. Frank discussions of sex were natural, and a compelling reason why Hannah was determined to wait until she was much, much older.

Jack, being the seventeen-year-old clone of a professional military man, had no such compunctions. He did, however, have a great deal of respect for the newest batch of Jedi, of which he was one. "Yeah, she probably would. Besides, you're too good for me."

"I know," she said brightly.

The two continued walking down the street toward their unit. The terrorist cell, an off-shoot of militant Hindis who blamed the death of India on the current world government, was finally eliminated after ten car bombs and one attempted hijacking.

Just another day in the life of young Jedi.

* * *

_Denobula, Denobula Traxia System, Thursday, August 14, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 27:23 Hours Local Time_

Isabel Evans flew across the wide central boulevard of Triaxa'Del, the capital city of Denobula, with her blue lightsaber lit. Behind her, lining the roof of the fifty-story tower from which she jumped, her squad of marines continued firing on the Ori soldiers that lined the tower in front of her.

She ignored the soldiers and focused on the two Priors standing behind the soldiers. The Priors stood expectantly, their staffs brightly lit. It was at that moment that a flash of light thrummed into existence ten meters above and a meter behind the priors. A second later, Dana Mulder dropped to the roof of the building, her red hair tied back, her adaptive armor glistening in the reddish-brown light of three of Denobula's moons. As soldiers and Priors alike turned to face this newly materialized threat, Dana raised her hands and a cloud of white lightning shot from her fingers.

Isabel alit on the edge of the roof and let her white Force lightning join the chaos. Soldiers screamed and the two priors stood stiffly, trying to resist the barrage. It was at that moment that a lightsaber flew like a spear through the chest of the left prior. The flash of fire that signaled his end distracted the remaining prior. His shields collapsed and he died under the Jedi barrage.

Jump shock troops in the adaptive armor of the Commonwealth airborne marines landed behind Dana with heavy repeater blasters firing. Dana lit her lightsaber, and the saber that killed the first prior flew into the hands of the third Jedi there, John Shepherd. The remaining Ori soldiers fought bravely until the last men stood in a corner, disarmed. Faced with surrendering, the three men chose to jump to their deaths.

They got as far as flying off the edge of the building when an invisible force grabbed all three and pulled them back from the brink. "Sorry, no suicides today," Isabel said with her hand held up.

The Commonwealth soldiers took the three prisoners of war into custody. One of the suits removed his helmet. What had appeared as a bluish-black suit of armor turned suddenly white as its adaptive shielding faded. Without the adaptive shield, it looked very similar to the old storm trooper armor. "Well, that was fun," Colonel Cameron Mitchell said. "That it?"

Shepherd listened to his earpiece. "HQ reports some heavy fighting north of Shotrock City, but we're about done."

"It's Chotstrick," Isabel said with a tight grin. The campaign on Denobula had gone on for the past six months. The Denobulans at first had welcomed the priors with the same inquisitiveness with which they viewed all new ideas. But when they realized these new ideas carried a price, they resisted. In the space of three months a population of ten billion dropped to seven billion. And yet…

The Denobulan military liaison stepped onto the roof. General Glarix also wore armor, though his was of a more static and less versatile version than that produce by the Commonwealth. He looked around the roof with wide eyes, then approached the Jedi and Mitchell. As he did so, his lips pulled into a grin of inhuman proportions.

"I am speechless," he said, disproving his statement immediately. "Just speechless. The Denobulan people owe you a debt of gratitude beyond words. And I must say, watching the Jedi fight has been a true honor."

"I just wish we could have saved more of your people."

The grin faded. "Yes. Yes, that would have been better. But our world lives, and the majority of our race survives, and we are free to believe as we wish. Thanks to your people. We will never forget the aid that the Commonwealth has provided."

"There may come a time when you can aid us," Isabel said. It was the same speech she gave to the Rigellians and Orbanians last year. "The war against the Ori spans the quadrant. The expenditure of resources and personnel is tremendous. We need all the help we can get."

"And you shall have it," Glarix said. "If plural marriages are good for anything, it's for producing lots of children to fight!"

"Now that's a refreshing way to look at family values," Shepherd said.

Mitchell nodded at something over his communicator. "The _Delhi_ reports no further Prior contacts. Commodore Kamanin has authorized orbital bombardment of the Ori forces at Chotstrick." He said the name slowly to get the pronunciation correct in front of Glarix. "Looks like we're finally done."

Isabel turned to Glarix. "Then General, on behalf of the United Earth Commonwealth and the Allied Planets, I am pleased to inform you that the Ori threat has been removed from your planet. A diplomatic relations team has been dispatched and should be here within the week."

"We will greet them gladly," Glarix said. He took her hand in a firm, human-style handshake. "Thank you all so much."

Ten minutes later, the three Jedi materialized onboard the UECS _Delhi_, HSC-153. The mile-long heavy command carrier thrummed around them as more forces were transported aboard. The final orbital barrage had been successful, and repeated scans of the surface showed no other Human or Romulan lifesigns. Other than a token regiment, all Commonwealth and Jaffa soldiers would be beamed back aboard the _Dehli_ for the mandatory two weeks furlough, before being reassigned to one of the many other hotspots across the galaxy.

Denobula was a relative cakewalk compared to the battles fought over Andoria, or the Jaffa world of Schiv'atal. Andoria was now an ecological mess with much of the two native species wiped out, while Shiv'atal had been acknowledged by UECS Fleet as a total loss. For every victory, for every world they saved, another fell.

"Jedi Evans to the Bridge, please," the walls announced.

"You go," Dana said. "I need a shower."

"Want help?" Shepherd offered the redhead. Although approaching her late forties, Dana still looked no older than an attractive thirty.

"Wanna lightsaber circumcision?" she said back without heat.

"Sounds painful. I'll pass this time."

The two walked down the hall, continuing to exchange barbs. Isabel learned to ignore them. For better or worse, Dana loved her husband, and Fox Mulder was still equally in love with her. And for worse, Shepherd just liked to flirt.

The bridge of Earth's latest model of spaceship looked almost like a high-tech version of an office building. Instead of cubicles, there were individual stations with comfortable, ergonomic seats. The lighting was a comfortable shade of yellow approximating natural sunlight. The commodore sat in the center of the 2000 square feet command center in a station replete with consoles and readouts.

Commodore Adele Kamanin looked up with a calm smile when Isabel stepped in. "I take it you had good hunting, Jedi Evans?"

"I did, Commodore, thank you," Isabel said. She treaded carefully around the flag officers, at Master Siana's insistence. Admiral O'Neill realized they needed the Jedi to fight the priors, but the Fleet still had difficulty adjusting to the presence of non-fleet personnel in positions of authority. It made even routine missions at times difficult.

"The _Delhi_ has been recalled to the Jovian Shipyards for re-supply and upgrades. I have been asked to forward a request to you to return to Earth as soon as we dock."

"Thank you, Commodore, we will."

"I understand it is a family emergency," the Commodore said. With just the hint of sympathy seeping through her command face, she said, "Your father has been in an accident."

Isabel felt something cold form in her stomach. She took a deep breath, and then said, "Thank you for letting me know. I'll need a subspace relay feed to Earth, please."

The Commodore nodded and watched as the Jedi left.


	70. Annoying Little Men

**Dude**--Well, at least they died fighting. ;) I appreciate you reading and the review! We've still got plenty to come!

**Northern-megas**--Thanks for reading. As for new ideas, truthfully the story is completely written and it would have to be something on the order of a true plothole or major error for me to go back and re-write. Still, I like the suggestions for future possible fics, so keep 'em coming.

**John**--I'm following fics that are lucky to see one update every four months, so I assure you it could be worse. The reason I'm going to have to slow down is that I've caught up to my Beta reader. However, I can at the least maintain the one-a-week posting. That's something, right?

**ArianneG**--Thank you, I'm glad you've enjoyed it. As for Kyle and Daniel--Kyle basically encapsulated all the knowledge of the ancients into a form that Daniel could possess without it killing him. He doesn't have Ancient power, per se, but he is a Jedi and doesn't really need it. As for nitpicky, those are just outright mistakes on my part, and I appreciate the heads-up. Thanks!

**Roosterman71**--The UEC is an actual interstellar power, now, making the fight with the Ori much more even. And yes, Adria is still smoking hot.

**Alex**--This is a difference between POV and reality. To a clone of Jack O'Neal, it's Chinese. To you or others, it's Cantonese. I still appreciate the pointer, however. Little things can add up. Thanks!

I had some nice feedback with this last chapter. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I've passed the 200 review mark for the first time on any of my fics here at Fanfiction, and I can't thank you enough for that.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy: Annoying Little Men**

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Sunday, August 17, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 11:23 a.m. MT_

Samantha Carter O'Neill repressed a sigh of exhaustion and pushed the acknowledgment button that would tell her secretary to allow the visitor in.

Sam had discovered that the further she went in authority, the less time she had for actual research. Once considered the brightest mind in astrophysics, she was now, by her own admission, surpassed by many other minds equally as brilliant, and much more directly involved in the work.

However, as head of the Commonwealth Research Initiative and Science Advisor to the Prime Minister himself, she could not possibly imagine herself anywhere else. She was desperately needed to provide a communication bridge between the Prime Minister, and annoying little men like Rodney McKay.

McKay swept into the room like an intellectual Napoleon, short of stature, large of ego. Behind him came his retinue of researchers—including a Chiss science officer from the remaining Imperial Contingent that chose to remain on Earth rather than return to the Empire in the Corusca Galaxy, as they were now calling it; a Vulcan; a Russian; and a strange little man who defied category and who never spoke.

"Sam!" Rodney said with unwanted familiarity. "I've got great news!"

"You have a girlfriend?" Sam asked, indulging herself.

Rodney stopped and blinked. "What? Oh. Ha ha. No, I mean, I have good news. Remember that strange device we found in Glastonbury? The one that swapped bodies with Jackson and that other lady?"

"Yes."

"This has nothing to do with that device. I found another device in there that had notes from an Ancient."

"Merlin," the Russian said.

"Yes, yes," Rodney said dismissively. "That's not what's important."

"You discovered proof that Merlin the Magician was a real person, and that's not important?" Sam asked.

"No," Rodney said, drawing the word into a whine as only Rodney McKay could. It was what Sam called the McKay factor—the incessant ability to be sarcastic, defensive and childish with a single sound. "What's important is that the device kept this Merlin's notes out of alignment with our dimensional phase."

"How did you discover this?"

"I tested it," McKay said quickly.

The Chiss cleared her throat. "He activated it and went out of phase. We were able to determine what happened and brought him back."

"After four days," Rodney said, whining again.

"It took four days to bring you back?" Sam asked.

"It took four days to notice he was gone," the Russian said. "It was just so…"

"Don't finish that!" McKay warned.

"Peaceful," said the Vulcan.

McKay rolled his eyes. "Can we get back to the point?"

"Which is?" Sam asked.

He stared at her, astounded. "And to think you were supposed to be smarter than me," he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Shields, Sam! Impenetrable, out of phase shielding! We can take our ships out of phase when being fired on. We can take them out of phase to cloak them. We can phase shield whole planets! The applications of this technology are unlimited. It's Ancient technology we can use right now!"

"Oh yes," the Russian added. "Merlin also mentioned a weapon that could destroy ascended beings."

Sam stared. "So we have an Ancient who was Merlin telling us about a weapon that could destroy the Ori directly, and you're excited about the phase mechanism he used to deliver the notes?"

"Yes," McKay said. It sounded like both an answer and a question.

"And you think you're smarter than me?" she said. "Alright, here is your priority. Weapon to kill the enemy that threatens all life in the galaxy first. Pretty shields second. You understand?"

"But Sam!" Rodney said. Now he sounded twelve. "The notes don't have any specifications, just that the guy was working on the weapon. It would take a rabbit hunt across the galaxy to piece together where 'Camelot' is supposed to be. We can start work on the shields now."

"Rodney, you have a lot of smart people working for you who can work on the shields. If we can find a weapon to hurt the Ori directly, we may not need those shields. So you do whatever you need, and pull whomever you need to pull, to get me that weapon."

Rodney pursed his lips and lifted his chin, as if fighting back tears. "Fine," he snapped. He turned and left and his retinue left with him. The last to leave was the quiet, odd little man who merely shrugged.

"God that man needs a woman," Sam muttered.

The room suddenly thrummed with white light. A moment later a tall man with white hair and a baby blue Admiral uniform stood in her office. "Honey, I'm home," Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill said. He saw her expression. "Bad day at the office?"

"McKay."

"Ah." He nodded sagely and walked over to her desk with a bag of what smelled like…

"Is that French?"

"Bully base," Jack said with a smile. "Beamed over from headquarters before coming here."

"You mean Bouillabaisse?"

"That's what I said," the admiral told her as he removed a large bowl of the fish soup with a baguette still steaming from the ovens of Picardy. "Sometimes it's good to be the boss."

She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Sometimes it's good to be married to the boss too."

"So, what'd the ALM want?" It was their code for Rodney—Annoying Little Man.

"Actually, he had something worth talking about," she said. "Evidently there was a notepad in the Glastonbury artifacts from Merlin. The notes talked about a weapon that could kill ascended beings."

"Cool," Jack said, seeing the applications immediately. "So I take it you're sending him after that?"

"Yep. But we also discovered that Merlin hid his notes using a phase device. Rodney thinks he can adapt the technology to develop shields and cloaking devices that would be impervious to weapons fire."

"Now that is cool," Jack said.

Sam shook her head. "Jack, what's more important: a weapon to end the war, or fancy shields?"

"I didn't say the weapon wasn't important," Jack said. "I'm just saying impervious shields would be cooler."

Sam sighed. "Men. They're all annoying."

"Yes," Jack said as he dripped Bouillabaisse down his chin onto his uniform.

Rodney stormed out of the CRI tower with his team a step behind. "Rodney, are you really surprised?" the Chiss, whose unpronounceable name had morphed into 'Chara,' said. Her bright red eyes still disconcerted the scientist.

"No," he said forlornly. "Just, I am a scientist. I don't go gallivanting around the cosmos looking for cryptic clues to where things are supposed to be. That's what Daniel Jackson and SG-1 did."

"Well, SG-1 is gone," the Russian, Zelenka, said. "So, what to do?"

Rodney looked over the row of administrative buildings that had grown up so quickly around the CRI. Ruby Valley, once a sleepy little reserve, was now a city of over two hundred thousand and growing faster than Vegas. Through the space between buildings, he caught hint of a spire on the edge of the original Relocation Project campus. It had started out as a bunker, then a dome, and now had changed into something that looked almost like a church. Or a temple.

"I'll need help," Rodney said. He turned to his team. "I want all of you on the shield project. Radek, you and Chara take joint leads. I'm going to go talk to the Jedi."

They all stared at him.

"What?" Rodney said.

They shrugged and continued on toward the main research building. "The little blonde one?" Chara said.

"Definitely," Zelenka said.

"He needs a woman," Chara noted.

"But preferably one who won't cut him in half with a lightsaber if he becomes annoying," the Vulcan, Saric, said.

Suez, the quietest member of the group said, "That would take how many seconds?"

They spent the rest of their walk back to their labs forming a betting pool on how long it would take Jedi Knight Tess Harding to cut Rodney McKay in half.

Rodney, ignoring his employees' gambling tendencies, caught a pedetram. Like the mechanical walkways in large airports, the pedetram system ran through much of the original compound due to the prohibition of non-official motorized vehicles. It proved very efficient, however. Walking on a tram could reach speeds of forty kilometers an hour. Most had covers, and so walking was an option no matter what the weather.

Eventually he came to a walkway leading to the Jedi Headquarters. Originally organized under the Commonwealth Bureau of Criminal Investigations, with the advent of the war against the Ori, all pretense was dropped and the Jedi Order was officially recognized as an autonomous religious order.

The label of religion, Rodney knew, was to give the Jedi tax-free status and exempt them from many laws pertaining to private industry. The fact that the Jedi Order officially held patent rights over the repulsor coils being used in all hovercar and hover vehicle manufacture ensured that they were self-funded.

There were no guards in the front of the 'temple'. Instead, there was a simple desk sitting in a white-washed room of perhaps four hundred square feet, with a single young woman sitting behind it.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm Doctor Rodney McKay with the CRI. I would like to see Tess Harding."

"Knight Harding is currently in training, but she should be done in a few minutes if you would like to wait," the young woman said politely.

"Thank you," Rodney said. He turned to sit, and only then saw there were no chairs. He looked back at the receptionist, who was gone. "Oh come on!" he said.

A few moments later a paradigm of beauty made incarnate stepped through the door. She wore slimming black slacks and a grey kimono foldover shirt that hugged her well-formed stomach and the gentle swell of her… "Rodney, talk to the face, please."

He blinked and looked up at her stunning blue eyes. "What?"

"I can read your mind, Rodney. Please stop drooling over my breasts and tell me what you need."

"I need your breasts…" He turned a bright shade of pink and shook his head angrily. "Help! I need your help! For an assignment from Sam…I mean, Dr. O'Neill."

Tess Harding gave a patient sigh, crossed her arms over her supple nipples and… "Rodney!" she barked. "Stop thinking about my boobs! What are you, twelve?"

"I'm sorry," Rodney said, still blushing. "I really am. I'll understand if you say no. I'm a scientist, gallivanting through the galaxy is really hard for me. I'm supposed to find clues to this weapon an Ancient named Merlin may have developed that could kill the Ori, but I don't have the first clue where to start. And I need some help. You were the first person that came to mind." Finally he met her eyes as he pleaded.

"A weapon that could kill the Ori?" Tess asked. "You mean something that could kill ascended beings?"

"Yes. But all we have are notes. They give clues, but we'll need to go chasing those clues around. All we know is that he hid it in a place called Camelot. And no, not Camelot on Earth."

Tess considered the annoying little man carefully, and noted that he very carefully kept his eyes on hers. "If you even so much as think of one of my body parts I will cut your fingers off," she threatened.

He involuntarily looked down at my fingers. "Then how could I type?" he asked seriously, as if sure it would happen. Tess could not help but chuckle.

"I'll check with Master Siana, but I can't imagine she would say no. But Rodney, please understand I am not an object, and I will not tolerate you fawning over me."

"I'm sorry," Rodney stuttered. "You're very pretty and…. I know. I'll stop. Thank you for your help. I really couldn't imagine doing this by myself."

"We haven't done anything yet," Tess said. Then she smiled and patted his cheek. "Thank you for saying I'm pretty."

She turned and walked back toward the door. "Rodney," she said as she did so, "stop staring at my ass."

"Sorry!"


	71. The Will of God

**Alex**--Thank you. I admit that I had a ball writing that chapter. I personally don't find Tess all that alluring, but for some reason I honestly think McKay would. And we do have a few chapters left to go, but Part V will see the conclusion of the saga.

**Azral**--My fun with Rodney is all in good fun. I really do like him. For budgetary reasons they haven't gone on the Atlantis mission yet. All resources are being put toward the war effort at this time.

**Snowfur**--Isn't it? I wrote that whole section in half an hour. I couldn't type fast enough, it just poured out.

**Roosterman71**--Don't feel bad, if people weren't meant to like him, they wouldn't have made him a feature player in SGA. As for Rodney and McKay, they just fit together in my mind. And I've been told that Rodney isn't actually all that short. I think he just as bad posture.

**Northern-megas**--No problem. I've noticed that there is a definite division regarding story styles. You'll have some that are more of the military sci-fi with overwhelming attention to the details of what weapons are being used with a more cut-and-dried, almost AP style of writing. Then you have the character-drivin stories in which plot and character are given equal footing, and the weapons are less important than the people using them. Both are valid and can be equally entertaining. I don't mind admitting I am more on the latter side of that equation. David Drake I am not. But I still hope I have enough of the former to keep the story interesting for you!

**ArianneG**--Exactly. No Pegasus, not yet. But Daniel knows quite a bit about what is going on. I will have one more 2-week post on Friday that will demonstrate what I mean. After Friday, I'll have to drop down to one post a week since I've finally caught up with my Beta.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-One: The Will of God**

_Roswell, New Mexico, Tuesday, August 19, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 9:34 a.m MT_

The hovercar came to a halt a few meters above the street in front of the sheriff's house. Although they were more common now, hovercars were still a sufficient rarity for people to turn and stare as it lowered gently into a space.

Sheriff Jim Valenti stepped out of the department with his wife a step behind. The two stood on the curb and waited as the car doors opened. Max and Isabel Evans climbed out of the front seats, while Michael and Maria Guerin climbed out from the back.

Max and Isabel stepped to the Sheriff and took his hand. "My condolences, Max, Isabel," Valenti said. He wrapped his arms around each, while Maria stepped to his wife and gave her a hug.

"Mom," Maria said.

Amy Deluca Valenti smiled sadly at Maria, then up to Michael. "Are you taking good care of my little girl?"

"I torture her daily," Michael assured her brightly.

"He really does," Maria complained as she stretched her shoulder.

"We appreciate you looking after our mom for us," Max said. "I came back from China as soon as I could."

"Speak for yourself, I was fighting a war 68 light years away," Isabel said.

Amy Deluca sent a startled look to her daughter, who shrugged. Jim just smiled. "She's doing okay. Jeff and Nancy have been taking care of her. She'll be glad to see you. Where are the kids?"

"Liz is bringing them in later today," Max said. "We didn't want to disrupt their schedule any more than we had to. It's hard enough that they lost their Papa Phil."

They drove together to the Evans home. They saw their mom's SUV in the driveway, with the Parkers' jeep along the curb. As they arrived, Diane Evans stepped from the front yard with a calm, composed expression as her children climbed from their vehicle to meet her. "Mom," Isabel said. Max simply hugged them both, and with their friends following, they stepped inside.

* * *

_Romula City, Romula, Tuesday, August 19, 6 CE_

The halls emptied. The Romulans did not just scurry out of the way, they fled in fear.

The Orici strode angrily through the halls. Her feral yellow eyes flashed dangerously to every corner, as if seeing the ghosts of those who stood there just moments before.

The two Remans remained at their posts as she approached, as always seemingly unconcerned that here walked Death incarnate. However, Death saw the Remans as kindred spirits and rarely bothered them.

They opened the door, and she walked into the prison ward.

The man in the first cell cried out in fear before gasping and falling over dead. The second screamed as his body burst into flame so intense in seconds it left only ashes. So it went as she walked down the hall, killing every one of the fifty prisoners on the block, until she came to the last cell.

Daniel Jackson sat as calmly as before, though his lips curved down in a slight frown. "Dr. Jackson," Adria purred. Rage and anger boiled just under the surface of the sound. "You disapprove."

"It saddens me," he said. "They are not the ones responsible for your defeats."

Adria stood glaring a moment until a chair came soaring down the hall to the space behind her. She sat down. "How did you know about Denobula?"

"I didn't, until now," Daniel said. "However, when you lose, your prisoners suffer."

"And you're my last prisoner."

"Yes."

She flicked a finger. Daniel flew back against the wall, his skin rolling as if exposed to massive wind or _g_-force. "I've been much too kind with you, Daniel Jackson. It was a foolish oversight my Priors have been kind enough to show me."

"You will do as you must," Daniel managed to force out. "I will love you regardless."

Suddenly he dropped. He did not bother to use the Force to stop his fall, and hit the bench hard. He sat up slowly to find Adria standing again, glaring.

"How dare you presume to use that filthy word on me!"

Daniel did not smile, nor frown. He looked directly into those frightening yellow eyes set in a face of such classical beauty, it made the fire beneath even more deadly. "Truth is elusive to those who refuse to see with both eyes," Daniel said, quoting from the Book of Origin. "It took two years of captivity for me to see why I am here, and why you have not killed me. It is the will of the Ori. I am here for you. I love you."

The unbreakable bars of Romulan metal groaned and snapped away into shards at the wave of her hand. She flashed forward until her hand was around his neck, choking him against the wall. She bodily lifted him from the bench. "Not even the Ori would sully my Holy person with filth such as you!"

"I am a descendent of the Ancients," Daniel whispered through the hold on his neck. "I have learned at the feet of Ascended Beings. My entire life, my destiny, has been to prepare me for this moment. Kill me if you must, but know that even dying at your hands, I love you."

Her yellow eyes narrowed and took on an almost Gao'uld-like glow before fading completely back to a warm, simmering shade of brown. "You lie to save your life," she growled.

"I gave my life to you on Earth two years ago," Daniel said very softly.

She let him drop to the bench and stepped out of the cell. Seemingly as an afterthought, the bars of the cell pulled themselves from the far wall and reassembled, as firm as before. "The next time I see you, I will kill you," she said.

Daniel sat down in lotus position. "And I will love you still."

Adria, Orici and leader of the Ori in the Milky Way, fled.

* * *

_Roswell, New Mexico, Wednesday, August 20, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:45 a.m MT_

Max Evans, Michael Guerin, Jim Valenti and Jeff Parker stood at the four corners of the casket as the motorized cart moved it across the cemetery to the waiting grave.

Liz and Isabel stood next to Diane Evans, surrounded by her grandchildren, Zan, Kyle, Claudia and one year old Daniela. Behind her stood friends and colleagues of Phillip Evans.

As he approached the hole his father's body would be lowered down into, Max took a quick headcount. Over two hundred people had attended the ceremony, and easily more than half of them had come to the actual burial. Many were fellow attorneys, some were judges, and still others friend**s** from church or the Rotary Club. Max felt his eyes grow moist at the realization that his father was going to be missed not just by him and his family, but by the community. It was a realization that his father, at least here in this town, was as important as Max could ever hope to be.

As Jim Valenti summed up at the memorial service, "Phillip Evans was a fine attorney, a fair judge, and a good man. I can think of no finer person in Roswell, and I can think of no one who will be missed more than my friend."

The cart slowed as it approached the grave. The minister stood at the head of the grave, his thumb marking the passage in the worn Bible he held. Around them, the sun shone brightly down on the cemetery, which itself was a tiny oasis of green surrounded by the cleansing purity of the New Mexico desert.

Without even having to share a look, Max and Michael together gathered the Force to them, and to hushed whispers of the onlookers, levitated Phillip Evans' casket off the cart and onto the waiting cradle. Ignoring everyone there, the two Jedi assumed their places with the family.

'"God is our hope and strength," the minister read without skipping a beat, '"a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof rage and swell, and though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same…"'

* * *

Daniel's eyes opened. Adria stood before him. The bars of the cell were gone. Her hair lay loose around her neck, and her eyes burned with feral yellow fire. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, and her chest heaved.

"You say you love me," she whispered. Her whisper was hoarse and strained, like a battlefield whisper. "Prove it."

He stood slowly from the bench and stepped toward her. "The only thing greater than your power," he told her, "is your beauty. You want proof, then take it. My mind is open to yours."

She slapped her hand against his forehead, and he winced but made no sound as the burning power of the Ori swept through him. "Not all of your mind is open," she said.

Daniel fell to his knees before her when she moved her hand. "I opened as much as I could," he gasped. He looked up, his eyes moist. "Did you not see it?"

"I saw a weapon," she said as she looked down at him. "A weapon that could destroy the demons who hold back the full force of the Ori of this galaxy. You know how we can find it."

"And I will help you," he said. "I will do anything for you. I love you, Adria. Be it my life, I love you."

The yellow fire died to a warm brown color. She reached up and with a snap of a button behind the black cascades of her hair, her diamond-studded gown fell to the floor to reveal the full beauty of the woman to whom the Ori had granted their power. "Then love me," she demanded.

Daniel reached up hesitantly and took her hand. It was trembling. It came as a shock that, though she had the knowledge of dark gods and the power of the same, Adria was in some ways still a child. But a child in a woman's body that pulled at him. He forced himself to his feet and shrugged out of the single-piece prisoner's tunic. She looked up and down his body, as if committing every curve to memory.

"My mother desires you," Adria whispered.

"I know. And I told her as well. I am for you alone."

She closed the distance and pulled his head down in a fierce, burning kiss. She pressed herself against him with visceral heat. "Then prove it," she demanded once again as they fell toward his bunk.

* * *

A sudden breeze blew a small bunch of cotton across the grave from the nearby cottonwood trees. The minister paused in his reading and shrugged his stole, as if suddenly cold in the already warm morning. '"There is a river'," he continued reading, '"the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most Highest. God is in the midst of her, therefore shall she not be removed; God shall help her, and that right early. Be still then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.'"

As the casket sank into the ground, four year old Claudia said, "Bye-bye, Papa."

It was the only time during the service that Max cried.


	72. The Adventures of Rodney McKay And Tess

**Snowfur**--Definitely some creepiness, but you have to admit they make a cute-looking couple, assuming they wouldn't vaporize anyone trying to take a picture.

**ArianneG**--Well, Daniel has been known to play with fire before. But there is a reason for all this, I promise.

**Divad relffes**--Indeed. Although, in her defense, Rodney was projecting rather strongly. Although it's not stated explicitly, I imply pretty strongly that Rodney and Tess have met before on more than one occasion, and that he's been moping over her long enough to irritate his staff.

**Northern Megas**--Absolutely. As for Drake, no worries. I used him as an example of a military sci-fi writer. I can't really recommend him too much--I prefer a little more characterisation in my books. My most advanced gaming console is, literally, a Gamecube. I have four games, and play them perhaps once every six months. So I admit many of my references are a little out of date.

**Roosterman71**--I wrote and re-wrote that chapter four times. It was actually pretty difficult to pull off. It sounds like it hit pretty close to where I was aiming, though. Thanks!

Announcement--Okay, for the longest time I have been posting two chapters a week. Well, I've finally caught up with my Beta reader and my posting on , where I actually started posting this story first. So, I can say that I'm posting all my stories pretty much at the same time on both boards. But that means that from now until the conclusion of this story, I will drop down to one post a week. However, rest assured that this story has been completed, and there should not be any delays or interruptions in the posting schedules.

Also, in an effort to avoid simply rehashing events from SG-1, the search for the Grail will go a little faster than originally. I do not like repeating events that have already happened.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Two: The Adventures of Rodney McKay. And Tess.**

_Camelot, Thursday, August 21, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 11:23 a.m MT,_

"This is Camelot?" Tess asked.

"According to Merlin's notes, yes," Rodney said. He wrinkled his nose. "It certainly smells like a medieval village. Oh, great." He made a great show of trying to wipe horse dung off his boots into the mud. Tess could see no difference for all his efforts.

The two stood just on the threshold of the city gates of what could have been a Hollywood backlot for a Robin Hood movie. The people dressed in stereotypical medieval outfits, right down to silly hats, and the homes all had a strange mix of period architecture, as if a Terran Renaissance Faire had gotten out of hand.

Everyone who walked by stopped and stared at the strange man in the baby blue UEC uniform, and the young woman in the black slacks, half-skirt and grey kimono-style shirt. "Well, I think it's neat!" Tess announced brightly. "Let's go check it out."

They started into the village when Tess saw a large stone in the middle of the street. She squealed with excitement and ran to stand before it. "Rodney, look! It's the Sword in the Stone! Can you believe it? This really is Camelot!"

"We are glad to hear of your joy in finding our home," a stranger in period clothing said, approaching them. "I am Meurik, governor of this village."

"Hi!" Tess said, beaming. "I'm Tess Harding, and this is my friend Rodney. We're looking for Merlin the Magician. Seen him lately?"

Meurik stepped back, blinking. "Merlin is a terrible name to speak. He was a wizard of darkness and evil magics. His library has been sealed since he left, shortly after great King Arthur left in his quest for the Sangraal."

"That's the Holy Grail," Rodney said when he saw Tess's lost look.

"So his library is over there?' she asked, following Meurik's anxiety in the Force until her gaze rested on an unremarkable building that spiked his fear.

"Please, strangers, do not stir the dark magics. They will place us all at risk. We cannot permit you to harm us in that way." With that Meurik turned and walked away.

"That wasn't very helpful," Rodney noted.

Tess merely shrugged. "We'll find another way. Come on." The two wandered through the village toward the library. As they did so, they came across a young woman and a boy of twelve or so practicing sword fighting techniques with wooden swords.

As Rodney approached the library and started looking for a way in, Tess paused and watched the two children. Both had strong Force signatures, but the girl's was especially strong. Not only did she have the Ancient gene, but it ran pure in her.

The girl paused in their fighting and looked back at Rodney. "You can't get in, it's sealed with Dark Magic," she said.

"But you know a way to get in," Tess said.

The girl shrugged.

Tess smiled. "I'll make you a bet. I bet that I can use that stick of your brother's and disarm you in under one minute. If I win, you tell us how to get in. If I lose, I show you how to disarm your brother in a minute."

"I can do that already," the girl said.

"Then if I lose I'll show him how to challenge you better," Tess said. "What's your name?"

"Valencia."

"My name is Tess. Do you want to try?"

Valencia shrugged. "All right. Ramus, give her your trainer."

The boy handed over the wooden training sword without complaint. Valencia took a fighter's stance, and with skill and grace struck first. Tess let the blade slide along hers until their hilts met, then grabbed the sword, spun around quickly, and stood a second later with both trainers in her hand.

"You cheated!" Valencia said.

"If an enemy is trying to kill you, do you think he would care if you cheat or not?"

Valencia thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. "That was a pretty neat trick. I'll show you. The key to the library is in the Archive. Antonius the historian can help us find it."

Naturally, Antonius was not amenable to the idea. As Rodney took a deep breath to launch into the explanation of the Ori war and the possibility of Merlin's weapon, Tess leaned forward, blinked her large blue eyes at the historian, and in a voice laced with seduction and Force power, said, "Please?"

Ten minutes later, they were in the library. Tess stood near the door by Antonius, cautiously curious to see the interior of the library that had resided untouched in their village for years, and Rodney began poking about.

"There's got to be some sign of technology," Rodney said. He used a Vulcan scanner they called a trifocal recording device to scan for energy readings. "Nothing so far."

Tess, however, was opening herself to the Force. Master Katarn told her how he had discovered the repository of Ancient Knowledge just before Doomsday. The Ancients had thrummed in the Force, and their presences lingered.

Using the Force, she could sense Merlin's ghost as it moved about the room, and to one particular panel where he went often, and one particular book he pulled out but never removed.

"How did you do that?" McKay demanded as a portal opened.

"I'm a lucky girl," Tess said.

"You're beautiful!" McKay gushed as he rushed past her. As they entered the secret room, fires sprang to life in their sconces.

That touch of power was enough to cause the frail Antonius to freeze. "This is too much," he said. "I should not be here." He turned and fled.

"Now I'm sensing the power," Rodney said as he approached what looked like an Ancient control panel. "I'm detecting a significant amount of energy here. Not on a ZPM level, maybe, but a significant amount." He popped a panel and started working on it when Tess heard a scream.

"Rodney, stay here," Tess said.

She ran out into the street and found Antonius's body crumpled in the mud. Before him stood a figure that looked almost like the dreaded Darth Vader from Master Katarn's yarns of his home galaxy.

"The Black Knight!" Valencia said. "You have brought Merlin's wrath down upon us!"

Tess removed her lightsaber. "I guess I better go cut Merlin's wrath up, then."

The villagers watched in shock as Tess lit her brilliant blue lightsaber. The knight lifted his steel, and the two blades met with…a clang. "That's not right," Tess said as she stepped back. The lightsaber not only hadn't cut the sword, but had actually bounced back, like two magnets pushed together at the same poles. She swung again and again, but to no avail.

Then she reached out in the Force and realized this wasn't a living being she fought, but a hologram of a level of sophistication she had never encountered. She backed up, then jumped to avoid a swing. She then somersaulted over the knight and planted a foot in his back. Even with the Force, however, it only caused him to stumble forward a step or two.

As he did so, Tess caught sight of the sword in the stone, and of Valencia standing near it. The sword itself reflected the same flavor in the Force as Valencia herself. "Valencia," she called out. "Pull the Sword."

"Only one pure of heart can pull the sword!" Valencia said.

"And you're not?" Tess called back as she somersaulted over the Black Knight again.

Valencia looked from Tess, to the knight, to Antonius, and then to her brother hiding in a door frame nearby. With a resolute nod, she put a hand on the sword's hilt and pulled. It slid free without resistance, leaving the whole village stunned.

Tess held out a hand, and Excalibur flew from Valencia's hand to hers. Although heavier than anything she had fought with previously, Tess was made strong by both her Antaran power and the Force. She spun the sword faster than the knight could possibly have followed, and quickly used the sword's unique power signature to begin cutting away at the hologram.

Suddenly, the knight disappeared. A moment later, McKay wandered out. "Hi," he said, looking at Tess and the sword. "Wow, right now you look so…"

"Don't finish that," Tess warned.

"Yes, right," McKay said, suddenly business like. "Well, I discovered the controls for the knight and deactivated him, and I found our next clues. Arthur sent his knights to three worlds: Castiana, Sahal and Vagonbrei."

"And where are those?" Tess asked.

"I have no idea," McKay said, suddenly deflating. "I just have no idea."

Suddenly the air thrummed with the sound of transporters. People screamed and fled as Ori soldiers took the place of the light.

A lot of soldiers.

"Hmm, Tess?" Rodney said, edging closer to the young Jedi.

"Do nothing," Tess said. The soldiers ignored the villagers and pointed their staves at the two Terrans. Twenty in all.

Another flash of light was followed by two more people. Beside Tess, Rodney said, "Oh my God!"

Tess stared, awestruck as well. "Daniel?" she asked.

Daniel stood in an Ori-style soldier's uniform at the side of a young woman who, in the Force, glowed with painful power. "The Terrans know about the weapon," the young woman noted as she studied Tess and Rodney.

"It was only a matter of time," Daniel said.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Tess asked.

"I am following the will of the Ori," Daniel said coldly as he met her gaze.

"Then do so now," Adria commanded. "Kill the Jedi."

Daniel removed a lightsaber from his belt and lit the blue blade. Without further warning he launched over the line of soldiers at Tess. Tess Force-pushed Rodney away, dropped Excalibur, lit her own saber and met the attack.

"Please don't make me destroy you," Tess said as they exchanged blows.

"Before he died, Master Katarn gave me his powers," Daniel said. "You cannot harm me."

As if to prove his point, he unleashed a maelstrom of white lightning that caught the young Jedi completely off guard. The power of the blow threw her back into the mud before the line of Ori soldiers. Daniel followed immediately. Before she could recover, he Force-pulled her saber away, landed squarely on top of her, and grabbed her head with one hand while pulling his saber up to strike with the other.

Tess screamed at his touch, as if he were burning her.

"Tess!" Rodney cried.

Daniel's blue saber plunged down through Tess's stomach. The young Jedi's scream ended in a breathless gurgle.

Daniel climbed back to his feet and stepped away from the Jedi as Adria joined him. Lying in the mud, her hair spread about and sullied, Tess looked like a fallen, dying angel.

Adria purred her approval and ran a finger across his jaw. "Nicely done," she whispered.

Daniel looked at her with open devotion. "Anything for you."

"What do you think we should do with her now?" Adria said.

Daniel looked at the stricken, silent Rodney. "Let the little man take her back as a warning. Let the rest of the Jedi know I stand where I am meant to be, by your side."

Adria nodded her approval. "Let it be done." She turned her feral eyes to McKay. "Take your pet Jedi back home, little man. Tell them what you have seen. Let them know their end is coming."

Without hesitation Rodney ran to Tess's side and lifted her from the mud. Glaring death at Daniel he scurried out of the town toward the stargate half a mile away. As they watched the little man retreat, Adria whispered, "If I had any doubts, my love, they are gone now."

He looked down at her adoringly. "Anything for you, my love."

"Let us find the weapon that will end this war once and for all."

Outside the town, Rodney McKay ran as fast as his legs would carry him. However, McKay was not used to strenuous activity of any kind. His lungs, chest and arms already burned at even Tess's weight (which was much more than Rodney would have thought all things considered). His legs felt as if they were made of lead, and his breaths came in ragged gasps.

Finally an unseen root caught his feet and he fell to the ground with Tess in his arms. For the longest time, he simply laid there draped over her still body. Finally, he sat back on his heels and stared down at her.

He knew he was crying, sobbing even, but couldn't pinpoint when the tears started. Nor could he remember the last time he cried. But as he stared down at this perfect creature, this woman who was as strong as she was beautiful, his heart burned as much as his lungs or muscles.

"I'm so sorry," he finally managed to gasp. "I should never have asked you to come. Sam gave the job to me. But I was so scared, and since I first met the Jedi, thinking about you has always made me less scared. I was selfish." He reached down and touched her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Her eyelids lifted, and two brilliant blue eyes looked back up at him. "You're actually cute when you're sad," she said tiredly. "Like a little pound puppy begging for someone to pet him."

Rodney reared back. "You're…you're…."

"Hurting," she said. "Please don't pull at me. Daniel really had to burn me to make it look real."

Rodney sputtered. "You mean that wasn't…."

Tess very carefully sat up. "When he grabbed my head he communicated with me through the Force. It's the one method not even Adria can detect. He told me what was happening, and why. He switched off the blade just as it began to impale me, and then turned it on as he pulled it away. His timing was better than I could have done."

"But the sound…I heard the blade."

"I created the illusion," Tess said. "And since I localized the illusion around me, Adria had no reason to doubt it. I didn't dare try to touch her mind."

Rodney sputtered. "And here I thought you were dead. And I was saying all those…" His eyes widened. "Oh God, please tell me you didn't hear all that."

Tess grabbed the lapel of his shirt, and pulled him down until their lips met. His eyes widened to the point of almost popping-out, until he melted into her. At last they parted. "I heard," she said. Using his shoulder, she pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her stomach.

"Even faking it," she said, "that really hurts. I need to get to Max and the Jedi as soon as I can." She looked up at Rodney, who in turn marveled at her. "Will you help me?"

"I'll carry you if I have to," he said. "But, I might trip again."

"I'm sure you would," Tess said with a genuinely happy, if strained, laugh. "Brilliant and cute. But not so coordinated."

"Well, yes," Rodney agreed. He put an arm around her shoulder, and together they made their way to the stargate.


	73. The Terran Jedi Order

**Azral**--Daniel as a prior was inspiration, but the story does diverge of course. I hate going over the same territory as my source material. I'm glad you're enjoying Legacy of the Red Sun. I admit it has become my favorite of all my stories so far, followed by this one and Gods of Dark and Light, of course.

**Beth Weasley**--Hehe, and yet I just love them together. Here's next week's chapter, right on time!

**Snowfur**--He especially panics around Tess. Go figure.

**Northern-megas**--Aw, come on, you know they're perfect for each other. Daniel has his own motivations, but I'll say for the record that he has not turned to the Dark Side.

**ArianneG**--Absolutely. And Adria is definitely not going to be happy with Danny-boy when/if she finds out.

Thank you all for reading and for the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Three: The Terran Jedi Order**

_United Earth Commonwealth Fleet Command Headquarters, Thies, West African Union (formerly Senegal), Friday, August 22, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:23 a.m GMT_

Prime Minister Charleston's decision to build the central UEC Fleet headquarters in a dusty African town proved highly controversial at the time, not least among the predominately American and North European officers that ran the fleet.

Jack O'Neill, though, realized that it was not a military decision, or even a practical one. It was a political one, much like the decision to locate the world government in France rather than the United States.

Funds to rebuild the lingering damage of Doomsday were slow to come, local wars still burned and individual nation states continued to fail to provide even the most basic services to their people. While America and European elite purchased sky cars and built warships that could zip across the cosmos to fight an unseen and unheard of enemy, the people of Africa, Southeast Asia and South America continued to starve and suffer the atrocious affects of poverty, war, and the devastation of Doomsday.

The decision to build fleet headquarters in Senagal in 2006 (4 CE, Jack forced himself to remember) provided a much-needed boost to the economy of West Africa. The influx of several hundred thousand highly trained military personnel from all over the world, not to mention the sheer amount of materiel, forced an immediate cessation in the bush wars that still burned through the area.

In six months, almost all the nations of West Africa, from Mauritania to Niger and Nigeria met together, agreed to form a single administrative and economic body similar to the European Union that predated the Commonwealth.

The negotiations were hosted by Minister Charleston himself, who applauded the decision and promised extensive Federal aid. In the first months of 5 CE, when the other African nations saw the overwhelming influx of aid, and the newly galvanized economic power of a new governing block, the rest of the continent followed, forming four distinct "unions."

Like everything else the Prime Minister was involved in, his one decision led to a cascade of successes that, just one year later, had the continent of Africa looking at its longest period of peace in history.

All because of a military base.

Jack beamed in from Nevada along with the other officers who retained residences in America, and was immediately met by his private hovercar. Senior Warrant Officer Walter Harriman, stood waiting attentively. "Walter," Jack said.

Harriman saluted sharply. "Sir. Jedi Master Delun has requested a meeting with you and the Defense Minister. She indicated it was an urgent matter."

Jack paused and raised a brow. "That sounds interesting."

"Yes, sir."

"What's my schedule look like?"

"Requisition meetings and a debrief on the Denobulan campaign."

"We won. Debrief done. Ask Admiral Henson to handle the requisition meetings and contact the Secretary's office to see if we can sneak a meeting in."

"Yes, sir."

Fortunately, Defense Minister Francis Maynard knew that when Jack O'Neill called, it was for a good question. Within twenty minutes of Harriman's call, the Defense Minister beamed in from Commonwealth directly to O'Neill's office, while Siana Delun beamed in with a retinue of her fellow Jedi a minute later.

"Francis," Jack called, taking his boss's hand in a firm shake. "Thanks for coming. I see that French food is agreeing with you."

Maynard grinned. "I've put on ten pounds, and I don't regret a bite," the former general confirmed. "Ordinarily I would have had you come to me, but I needed to get out of there. There was another Parliamentary Oversight meeting in progress."

Jack laughed as Siana and a pair of other Jedi materialized with a flash of white light. The old Central Earth Clearinghouse provided by Roberta Lincoln's Asgard contacts had been upgraded to a full Asgard beaming network.

"Siana!" Jack said. "You're looking particularly blue today."

Siana smiled warmly at the admiral. Aside from blue hair and blue eyes, Siana was sporting a blue wrap under her Jedi robe. "Thank you, Admiral. Minister, thank you for meeting on such short notice."

"Of course."

They sat at Jack's conference table while aides brought in drinks and a tray of cheese, crackers and cups of demitasse, a local delicacy.

"This is Jedi Knight Tess Harding," Siana said. "And this is Tess's padawan, Sydney Bristow."

"You're the one they stole from the Intelligence Service, right?" Jack asked.

Bristow was an intense-looking woman in her mid thirties. She nodded and smiled slyly. "Now I can spy with my mind as well as my eyes," she punned.

"The reason I asked to meet," Siana continued, "is that we've had contact with Daniel Jackson."

Jack fell silent for a moment, then looked briefly at Maynard before clearing his throat. "He's not dead?"

"We never truly believed him to be," Siana said. "After the Orici retreated, we knew from the Force that she took Daniel with her. We assumed it was as a prisoner to torture him for information. But when Tess ran into him, we discovered much more. Tess?"

"I was aiding Dr. Rodney McKay in his effort to find a weapon that could possibly kill ascended beings."

"What?" Maynard said abruptly.

"I sent you an email last night," Jack said. "Didn't you get it?"

"Last night Nevada time, or Fleet time?"

Jack blinked. "I'm not even sure."

"McKay found reference to a weapon being built by an Ancient named Merlin that could kill the Ori themselves," Siana explained. "He came to Tess for help, and I agreed to let her help him, thinking he would benefit from a Jedi presence."

"Why would our lead researcher be going on field assignments?" Maynard said.

"To get him off his ass and into the real world," O'Neill said. "The man's brilliant, but he doesn't really come through unless he's under pressure. And he was driving Sam nuts."

"They encountered the Orici and Daniel," Tess said. "He was her companion."

O'Neill stared as if shot. "That son of a bitch."

"He then faked killing me and gave me the exact coordinates of the planet where we could find the weapon."

"Say again?"

"Daniel has not turned," Siana said. "He was doing what Master Katarn told him to do, right before his death. Daniel has become our spy to the Ori. And he has become the Orici's weakness. From what he told Tess, she genuinely appears to love him."

"Think that would keep her from killing him if she found out?" Jack asked.

"No," Tess admitted. "But it would make her hesitate, and in this war that might be enough."

"So what is it we need to do?" Maynard asked.

"We need to secure the planet," Siana said. "At all costs. We've got knights and padawans we're willing to commit to the battle in addition to our other knights in the field. I'll go as well. But we have to take that planet."

Maynard leaned back in his seat and absently chewed on a piece of gouda. "The Imperials have two ships here on picket duty," he mused.

"The _Delhi_ battle group is on leave, and the _Beijing_ group is on picket duty by Dakara," Jack said. "Two battle groups are about all we can really afford to dedicate to it, though. The _Bellepheron_ and _Leonidas_ are finished with their repairs. And the Antarans are available as well."

"So, two heavy cruisers and their destroyers, and two attack carriers," Maynard mused.

"Not to mention two big whopping Imperial star destroyers and a handful of Antaran motherships," Jack said. "That's about as big a force as we have deployed anywhere."

Maynard nodded. "I'll discuss this with the Prime Minister. Start coordinating the mission and contact the Antaran embassy. Assume we're a go until we hear otherwise."

"Yes, sir," Jack said. He turned to Siana. "I love having a former general as the Defense Minister."

"I love having a former Air Force colonel as the Admiral of the Fleet," she smiled back.

* * *

_Jedi Temple, Ruby Valley, Nevada, Friday, August 22, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:00 a.m. MT._

After Siana, Tess and Sidney returned to the temple and caught a few hours of sleep, Siana asked Max to call a general assembly of all the Jedi. Although she was the nominal head of the order, Max acted as her second and the seed of what she hoped would become a Jedi council. Aside from herself, he and Isabel were the two most powerful of the new Terran knights, and his innate leadership skills often steadied even her.

As the knights and padawans walked into the conference room, she found herself stunned by how they had grown. Delvin Ostrael, John Shepherd, Dana Mulder and Izzie Stevens were all in the field, but that left her, Max and Liz, Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans and Tess as full knights. Plus they had a handful of senior padawans who were not far from knighthood themselves.

The senior padawans sat attentively in the conference room. Although she was the youngest of the senior padawans, fourteen-year-old Hanna Volper Stevens was clearly the most advanced and powerful of the padawans. Cassandra Frasier and John O'Neill were also skilled padawans and of an age where they were soon going out into the field with Max once they were indoctrinated with the Antaran energy wave.

Another surprising senior padawan was Sidney Bristow herself, who showed a great aptitude not just in the Force, but in its study and application. Through sheer determination and hard work, she had in the course of just a year achieved a level of skills comparable to Cassie.

The newer padawans included Maria Guerin, of course, another military recruit named Jennifer Hailey, and a former Russian captain named Daria Voronkova. Although she hadn't told anyone yet, Siana knew of another twenty potentials that blood screenings and interviews had identified.

So, in the course of six years, the Jedi had grown from her and Master Kyle to a body of seventeen knights and padawans, five younglings ranging in age from Dana's son William who was seven, to Max and Liz's youngest, who was one, and a list of potentials as long as they had the capacity to train. More important, as she scanned their faces, Siana realized that they were all good people. Every one of them held a dedication in their hearts to the Jedi, and the ultimate goal of defending Earth.

They had even developed a methodology regarding the Antaran energy wave. Those who progressed to knights were touched either by Max, or by Isabel, both of whom for some reason were both able to impart the energy in a more concentrated fashion than either Tess or Michael.

The Jedi finally settled, and were waiting for her, she realized. She could see O'Neill on the verge of making a smart-aleck comment, only to have Cassandra sense his intentions and elbow him firmly. Next to them, Hannah covered her smile. On the row up, Maria Guerin's mind was still turning over a particular lesson Isabel had tried to teach her that morning. Everyone agreed spouses should never also be padawan masters.

They were perfect. They were Jedi.

Siana stood from her seat and stepped past the podium. This wasn't going to be a lecture or a briefing. It was going to be a talk. She sat down on the edge of the dais that occupied the end of the room and smiled. "When I fell to Earth six years ago, I had just witnessed the slaughter of the Jedi in the Corusca galaxy. I arrived alone, and scared, and hunted by an enemy most of you have all been fortunate enough never to have to face.

"But from the moment I landed and Michael Guerin pulled me unconscious from my shuttle, and Max Evans risked himself and his friends to heal me, I have met the greatest, closest friends I could ever have imagined. You have become more than students. More than friends. You have become my family. You all know the code. Emotion, yet peace. Passion, yet serenity. Everyone here has emotion, and many have passion. And yet we have shared peace together, and serenity. You are all that for me. Thank you all."

Through the Force, she felt a wave of support from them. Even O'Neill blushed. "You know we all love you, Siana," he muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"And I love you all as well," she said clearly, as she locked his eyes in hers until his blush faded and he acknowledged her words with a nod.

She took a deep breath. "Most of you know we had contact from Daniel Jackson. We now believe that he left as part of a mission to infiltrate the Ori. It is incredibly dangerous, and there is the risk that he either has turned, or could be turned, to the Dark Side in support of the enemy. But whatever his motivation, he has provided us valuable information that we cannot afford to lose." She turned and nodded to Max.

The young knight stood and took his place beside Siana. "We have learned of a weapon that could potentially kill ascended beings. After speaking with the Commonwealth Defense Minister Maynard and Master Delun yesterday, Admiral O'Neill contacted Supreme Commander Thor for Asgard input. The Asgard reviewed the notes found by Dr. McKay and confirmed their belief that such a weapon was theoretically possible, but currently beyond their technological capability."

"Daniel Jackson told Knight Harding where to find the weapon," Siana said.

The knights and padawans shuffled in their seats. It was Michael who spoke. "When are we moving out?"

"We expect the Prime Minister's approval at any time," Siana said. "I have promised our support to the effort. Since I will be going, Max will be staying behind in the event anything happens to me."

"That means it's my turn to go," Liz said. "I'm not even pregnant for a change."

That elicited chuckles from the rest. "I'll go, of course," Michael said. Maria started to speak up, but Michael stopped her. "You're not ready," he said.

Maria flushed and was about to protest, but saw Siana shake her head. "Knights and senior padawans only, Maria. The Orici may be there, and many priors most certainly will be. I will not needlessly endanger the future of the Order by taking new padawans. I'm sorry."

Maria slumped down and very carefully tried to hide her relief.

"I'll go," Tess said. She turned to Isabel. "Your padawans need you here. Besides, McKay is almost certain to go. He'll need me to hold his hand."

"As long as that's all you're holding," Max said to a few laughs and Tess's good-natured blush.

O'Neill nodded. "Well, I figure I've been on the list to head out for a while now. I'll go."

"And me," Cassandra Frasier said.

"And me," Hannah said.

"Hannah, you're fourteen," Max said. "Your mother would kill us if we let you go."

"You told me, Master Siana, that Jacen Solo was only 15 when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked the Corusca Galaxy. He fought in that war and became a hero."

"A hero who died when he was seventeen," Siana said. She'd used the tale of the Solo siblings both as encouragement and a warning to the younger Jedi. Still, there was no denying Hannah's skill. Young or not, she was the most ready for knighthood. "You can come, but you will stay with me."

Siana turned to Sidney Bristow, who nodded. "That is enough," Siana said. "I sense everyone would volunteer if you could, but if this is a trap, the Order must continue."

"After all," Max added, "the order holds almost five hundred million adjusted dollars in assets. If we all die, who'll be around to spend it?"

Siana let the chuckles die down. "It's decided then. Tess, Liz, Michael and myself as knights, and Hannah, Cassie, John and Sidney as our padawans. We'll pair up. No padawan is to be left alone under any circumstances."

The door opened and Dr. Samantha O'Neill stepped in. The Jedi all turned to see the doctor's somber expression. "I just heard from Minister Bre'tac. A joint Ori-Romulan strike force has attacked Dakara. There appear to be ships from a third race we're not familiar with as well."

"Dakara?" Siana asked.

"They're attempting to destabilize the Alliance," Dr. O'Neill said. "The Star Destroyer _Jaina_ and two Antaran ships are aiding in the defense, but it doesn't look good. The _Nestor_ and _Ajax_ have been directed to join the fight and the heavy cruiser _Commonwealth_ has been sent in support of the _Beijing_ which was already on picket duty there. Dana and Shepherd have transferred to the _Commonwealth_ at Admiral Shintre's request. We've also requested Asgard aid."

"Has this cancelled our plans on Merlin's planet?" Siana asked.

O'Neill shook her head. "No, it's accelerated it. The Prime Minister gave his approval, and the Defense Minister authorized a rapid deployment. You leave tonight."

Siana nodded, then looked over her Jedi. "We're ready," she said.


	74. War

I'm going to try something different and put all author comments/responses at the bottom of the document. Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Four: War**

_Dakara High Orbit, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 3:45 p.m. GMT._

The _Pellaeon_-class star destroyer HMS _Jaina_ bled.

As the heavy command cruiser and fleet flagship UECS _Commonwealth_ jumped in with its destroyer escort, the _Dauntless_, Admiral Han Shintre hissed between his teeth.

At eight kilometers in length, the _Jaina_ still dwarfed the two kilometer-long _Commonwealth_. To see such a massive, powerful ship limping made even Shintre wince.

The orbit of Dakara glittered with debris. "We're getting confirming signals from the _Beijing_," communications called. "Full report coming in. They warded off the last attack but shields are below twenty percent and they are suffering power losses across the ship. They lost the _Intrepid_ and one of the Antaran motherships. The _Jaina_ reports heavy systems damage and causalities, but they still have their main guns. Shields are also less than twenty percent."

Moments behind the _Commonwealth_, the _Nestor_ and _Ajax_ emerged from hyperspace. The command carriers were of the first generation of Commonwealth ships, smaller and less powerful than the _Commonwealth_ and _Beijing_, but still potent in their own right.

"Mixed enemy troops have landed in force on the ground and Jaffa soldiers are facing heavy resistance," the communications officer added.

The ship's intelligence officer looked up from his scanners. "I'm reading at least a hundred thousand enemy soldiers of mixed species. Romulan, human and a third species we haven't encountered yet. Possibly reptilian. Looks like heavy infantry and armor and minimal air support."

"Which is sufficient, given Jaffa fighting tendencies," Shintre noted. "Do we have contact with Minister Bre'tac?"

"Audio only, sir."

"On speaker, please."

The ship's speakers crackled with static. "Minister Bre'tac, this is Admiral Han Shintre of the UECS _Commonwealth_. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, my old friend," Bre'tac said. "It is good to hear your voice. We have lost twelve ships. Our warriors are fighting well, but the enemy numbers are pushing us back."

"As required by treaty, I formally ask if you wish us to land forces on Dakara in support of its defense?"

"In accordance with treaty, I hereby request Commonwealth forces land on Dakara to aid in its defense," Bre'tac said without hesitation.

"Thank you, Minister. We'll start beaming men and supplies down immediately. We also have two Jedi aboard who will join the ground forces."

"Your assistance is welcome. Thank you."

At the Admiral's note, Captain Xing Xan confirmed the order, and the Terran ships began beaming men and materiel to the surface in support of the Jaffa soldiers.

"Keep all fighters on standby, but do not launch yet," Shintre said. "If the Ori have men on the ground, they will undoubtedly be back."

Captain Xan nodded. "Yes, Admiral."

* * *

_Merlin's Planet, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 4:22 p.m. GMT._

The skies above the planet glowed with blue radiation as four Commonwealth ships, three Antaran mother ships and two Imperial Star Destroyers burst back into normal space in high orbit of the planet.

Commodore Adele Kamanin sat on the edge of her seat. "Anything?"

"Scans show no other ships in orbit of the planet," the intelligence officer said. "Nor are we detecting any scans or signs of an Ori presence on the planet."

"We are picking up a massive power source," Sciences said. "It has an Ancient signature to it. I think we're in the right place."

Kamanin turned as Siana and the other Jedi stepped onto the bridge. "Master Delun," Kamanin said. "What do you think?"

Siana reached out and felt the waves of Force energy that enveloped the planet. There was power down there. "There is a village on the northwest corner of the super-continent near where our scouting team came through the gate. We need to be transported to that village."

The Force suddenly roiled. Siana's eyes widened as she exchanged looks with Michael, Tess and Liz. "Admiral, it's a trap!"

"What?" Kamanin said.

The skies around the taskforce exploded as ship after ship poured out. "Multiple enemy contacts!" Tactical said. "Counting eight Ori attack ships, fifteen Romulan war birds and ten ships of unknown configuration, but of power levels similar to the Romulans. Ori ships are firing!"

The enemy fleet flew directly at the taskforce as it separated into two spears of attack. All eight of the Ori ships fired simultaneously not at any of the Commonwealth or Antaran ships, but at the HMS _Bastion_.

The Imperial star destroyer's shields simply collapsed under the concentrated burst of firepower. The hypermatter reactor exploded with terrible force, requiring the rest of the task force to spread out or be engulfed as well.

"Break formation, all fighters launch!" Kamanin ordered. "All heavy ships concentrate fire on the Ori craft. Fighters to concentrate on the ancillary craft."

"Get us down to the planet, Commodore!" Siana said.

"As time permits, Master Delun!" Kamanin snapped back. "Communications, send to Earth that we have been attacked by superior forces and request assistance."

"Ori ships coming around!" tactical called. "We're reading additional ships heading for the surface. They appear to be transports."

"All ships, deploy resonance torpedoes!" Kamanin said. "Hold heavy fire until the torpedoes do their work. The transports will have to wait for now."

"Ori ships are firing," Tactical said. "They are concentrating fire on the Antaran escorts now."

The eight Ori ships fired two sets of concentrated fire at two of the three Antaran motherships. One of the great saucers erupted in a ball of white flame as bright as a nova. The other listed dangerously and blinked as its power momentarily failed. Even so, the resonance torpedoes began striking the Ori shields. Although not as effective as when the war started, nonetheless they had the desired effect of greatly weakening the Ori defenses.

"All ships return fire!" Kamanin said. The star destroyer _Fel's Pride_ fired even before the order could leave the commodore's lips, synching all eight of its superlasers together in a concentrated burst nearly as powerful as that of the Ori attack ships.

One of the Ori ships erupted into flame. At the same time, the remaining Antaran mother ship recovered sufficiently and fired its beam weapon even as the Earth ships released their own superlasers, depending on smaller turbolasers and fighters to defend against the Ori allies.

"Commodore, the _Bellepheron_!"

The tactical screen swerved about to show the attack cruiser just as two of the unknown alien ships collided with it. All three ships exploded.

"Three Ori ships destroyed, the remaining five have weakened shield signatures," tactical called.

Kamanin shook her head. "Now the odds are more even. Master Delun, have your forces report to the beaming rooms. We'll get you on the surface shortly."

Siana nodded. "Thank you, Commodore. May the Force be with you."

"And good luck to you as well, Master Delun," the Commodore said.

* * *

Osric, Keeper of the Archives, sat up from his desk. The parchment he was illuminating curled slightly as he released it and looked out the window of his home. He stood and stepped outside his modest hovel on the outskirts of the village and looked up into the early evening sky.

The stars shuddered as lights burned across the heavens. Others from the village stepped into the streets. Many turned to him as the Keeper, and he had only one thought in his mind.

"Merlin and Morgan La Fay war in the heavens!" he declared.

Because he said it, it became true to those around him who knew no better.

But his words lost all meaning when the common house exploded and sent shards of wood and stone spraying throughout the village. From the fires emerged a terrible beast of green metal, flanked by creatures with fierce-looking armor and weapons that sprayed out lightning and death.

Other creatures jumped down from the sky and snarled at the terrified villagers. The creatures appeared to be nightmares made flesh—tall with large mouths filled with sharp canine teeth and oval eyes staring about with yellow, reptilian irises.

As Osric and his people quailed in terror before these strange invaders, two streaks of smoke soared through the skies over the village and hit the green metallic beast. The beast moved forward with a groan and a flash of green light burst out toward the trees from the beast's long nose. Two more streaks of smoke appeared, and Osric saw this time that the smoke actually came from large, thick arrows that flew of their own accord directly at the beast.

The dragon cried with terrible metallic shrieks and then exploded with such ferocity that it leveled the inn and the sheriff's office on either side. The armored men and beasts began firing their lightning weapons into the trees. Osric covered his head and cried as the trees fired back.

Then he saw what could only have been Morgan La Fay herself. A creature of beauty and grace flew through the air with a sword of blue fire. Others followed with swords of blue and green, and one of purple. They landed on the ground like angels, eight in total, and stood guard over the cowering villagers.

The terrible aliens roared and charged, while men in armor (for Osric could see they were men, if just so) fell to their knees and fired their lightning.

The air around the angels glimmered as heated by fire, and suddenly there were man-shapes in scintillating black armor firing back at the terrible soldiers with their own weapons of red lightning. The angels with their fire-swords rushed forward to meet the monsters in battle, and as Osric watched in a state of awe, huge beasts with terrible claws and weapons were laid low by angels that looked no older than teenage girls.

One of the angels dispatched a monster and then sent her sword back to the heavens as she turned and ran not toward battle, but toward the young matron Sosia, who knelt with her three kids and her rattled husband in the door frame of their home. Beside her, one of the creatures in the black armor removed his helm, and showed himself to be but a man. The two spoke urgently with Sosia, and she and her family followed the man toward the trees.

The angel, who wore armor like the others but whose face was uncovered and whose hair hung straight to her shoulders, made her way to the next clump of villagers. This time the bailiff listened to her words, and when that clump of villagers ran to the trees, the bailey followed the angel, and the next group another man joined, until men from the village itself were spreading the word to flee into the trees.

Then the angel reached Osric. "We mean you no harm," she said in perfectly understandable Cymraeg, the language of his people. "Your village is in danger and we are trying to save you. Please run to the trees where others will help you."

"Have you been sent by Morgan La Fay to save us from Merlin's curse?"

The angel paused. "What do you know of Merlin?"

"I'm the Keeper of the Archives," Osric said. "I know everything about this place. I and the keepers before me are why this village exists. We were put here by Morgan La Fay to guard against Merlin's dark magics."

Osric turned as more soldiers in the strange black armor ran into the town, while others rode strange steeds that hovered magically off the mud. He looked back at the angel, who studied him pensively. "What is your name?" she said.

"I am Osric," he said. "And you are Morgan?"

"My name is Sidney Bristow," she said. "You need to talk to Master Delun."

She stood and motioned him to follow as even more of the flying steeds zipped through the village. He heard a strange rumble and saw a two-legged giant with no arms, and nozzles protruding from its nose, walking toward the distance from whence the green dragon came. Dragons flew silently overhead, bristling with strange rods and more of those thick arrows.

"It's just an AT-AC and some _Raptors_," Sidney said. "Just machines. What you see may look like magic, but it's not. It's technology and machines made by people just like yourself."

He looked at the machines zooming through and over his village and shook his head. "It is still magic to me," he said.

Then they arrived before the leader of the angels, a woman of breath-taking beauty made exotic by blue hair and startling blue eyes. She smiled warmly. "Sidney. Is this the village leader?"

"I am Osric, Keeper of the Archives," he announced himself. The moment of courage quailed inside, though, and he fell quiet before he could ask the many questions he wanted to ask.

"Osric, my name is Siana. You've met Sidney here. We are from a planet called Earth, and we are looking for something. Have you heard of someone named Merlin?"

Osric looked around as more of the angels studied him. They all looked so very young. Some appeared to be no more than children. Even their leader appeared not yet thirty. And yet they felled demons, one of which lay in the mud not ten feet away.

"I know of Merlin, the Dark Sorcerer. This village was created by my lady Morgan La Fay to guard over his cave, and to ensure only those of virtue could approach it. There are terrible curses for those who enter without her blessings."

One of the men in armor removed his helmet and saluted sharply. "Master Delun, Colonel Shavat. We have engaged enemy forces two klicks north of the village. This was an advanced party only. They have Romulan tanks and we're completely cut off from the gate. We have identified the new species as Hosnock. Our Vulcan advisors indicate they are a dangerous, but also very religious warrior species."

"Perfect picking for the Ori," Siana said. "Any Prior sightings?"

"Not yet, Master Delun."

"Thank you, Colonel. Our first priority is to protect the villagers." She turned to the younger members of her party. "Liz, I want you to stay with our ground forces with Hannah, Cassie and John. Priors are sure to show up. Michael, I want you, Tess and Sydney with me. I have a feeling Adria's going to be showing up at some point or another. And has anyone seen Rodney?"

"He's back with the communications station," a beautiful, petite woman with curling blonde hair said with a smile.

"And if we find Daniel?" the short brunette named Liz asked.

"Follow his lead until it's not safe to do so," Siana said. "I don't care what he's doing; I'm not going to let him endanger any of you."

Osric followed the conversation with limited understanding. What he understood, though, was that this woman with the blue hair was a leader, and cared more about his people and her own than she did in defeating her enemy.

She turned and studied Osric. "Osric, what I'm about to ask is very important. A terrible enemy is sweeping across the stars. Billions have died before this enemy. Merlin may have created a weapon we can use to fight them. Do you know how to get to Merlin's cave?"

Osric knew. Although it was not written in anything in the archives, the secrets had been passed down through stories among Osric's ancestors for hundreds of years. "I believe I can help you," he said.

"Then come with us," Siana said.

* * *

_Merlin's Planet High Orbit, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 5:16 p.m. GMT._

In an era of faster than light travel and weapons that could crack planets in half, warfare in space was no longer a matter of hours or days, but a matter of minutes. Within the first ten minutes of the Ori ambush at Merlin's Planet, the Commonwealth lost one of its two destroyers, one Antaran mothership, and from Earth's ally across the universe, His Imperial Majesty's _Bastion_. The _Bastion_ alone had a crew of almost four hundred thousand men and women. The _Bellepheron_ had a crew of only four hundred. Both losses stung deeply.

On the other side, the Ori lost three of their attack ships, and of the fifteen Romulan war ships five were destroyed. The ten alien ships that their surface contingent reported as Hosnock proved to be more formidable, but even so had lost three of their number to the swarms of Imperial and Commonwealth fighters swarming through space.

All this happened in ten minutes.

"Commodore Kamanin!" Communications called. "We've received a subspace transmission from Admiral O'Neill confirming Asgard reinforcements are en route, but they won't make it for at least half an hour."

Kamanin nodded while she watched on her view screen one of the Antaran motherships damaged in the initial assault attempting to fire on a Hosnock cruiser. The cruiser responded with thin green energy weapons that carved into the unshielded Antaran ship. "Advise Antaran ship two to withdraw for repairs," the Commodore said. "No point in them losing their lives over nothing. Tactical, where is the _Enterprise_?"

"Shadowing Ori Targets 5 and 7. She's taking fire from both Romulan and Hosnock ships and reports shields down to seventy percent."

The view switched to show the _Enterprise_ firing its heavy ship-to-ship laser cannon (HeSSLaC until they could think of something better to call the superlaser) at one of two Ori ships even while it was pounded from all around by Romulan and Hosnock ships. The Romulan and Hosnock ships were in turn hounded by much smaller shapes the commodore knew to be their fighters.

The main cannon blast struck the weakened Ori shields but did not destroy the ship. "Commander, bring us about and fire the main weapon on Ori Target 7!" Kamanin said. Around them, the ship groaned as it also took massive fire. Even so, the stars blurred and the horizon of the planet came into view as they spotted the two Ori ships. The two ships split up under the increased attention.

"_Enterprise_ is continuing with Target 5," Tactical reported.

"Stay on Target 7," Commander Derrick Archer said. As the commander under the flag office of the group, his role was limited to ship functions. However, he knew those functions well.

The duel heavy cannons of the heavy cruiser _Delhi_ opened up in a burst of doubled energy that seared through the near non-existent shields of the Ori ship and destroyed it. The beams continued beyond with sufficient energy to also vaporize one of the Hosnock escorts.

The _Enterprise_, which was essentially a superlaser mounted on engines, continued after its target while taking increasing fire from the Romulan and Hosnock. Finally, facing the depletion of its shields the Commonwealth destroyer veered away from the Ori ship and spun about while skimming the upper mesosphere. Its weakened shields took on a slight orange glow with friction even as the destroyer fired a full volley directly into one of its Hosnock attackers. The ship, approximately 600 meters in length, exploded in a ball of greenish flame that quickly disappeared into the vacuum. The Romulan ships scattered under the assault.

The captain of the _Enterprise_, a young British protégé of Han Shintre's named Sinclair Reed, applied full thrust to bounce back off the atmosphere of the planet, but must have seen the death of him and his crew coming. The 5th Ori target had come about after the _Enterprise_ had to break off its pursuit.

The _Enterprise_ swung about once more, spinning on its gravitational center with powerful maneuvering thrusters, and managed to fire its main weapon just as the Ori ship fired its own weapon. The two beams of energy, one white, one green, lashed passed each other and struck the opposing ship directly.

The weakened shields of the _Enterprise_ collapsed entirely. Although the ship was not entirely destroyed, the bridge and her command crew vanished in a flash of light, and she began to float free in an already decaying orbit as all its systems started to fail.

The Ori vessel, sensing that its foe was nearly vanquished, started to fire again when the Heavy Cruiser _Leonidas_, one of the first generation Commonwealth cruisers, fired its main weapon, sliced through the weakened Ori shields, and destroyed it.

Kamanin watched the _Enterprise_ die with a lump in her throat. Han, she knew, would be devastated.

"Three Ori ships are showing weakening shield signatures," Tactical called. "The last Hosnock ship has been destroyed and only two Romulan warbirds remain. It looks like we've won the day, Commodore."

"Whatever they find down there had better be worth this," the Commodore said.

The ship's interior suddenly turned red as more alarm claxons went off. "Report!" Kamanin shouted.

"New enemy contacts," Tactical said. "Ori, Romulan, Hosnock and ha'tak vessels in route. I'm reading at least ten more Ori mother ships. Twenty Romulan and Hosnock vessels each, and then ha'taks."

Commodore Adele Kamanin leaned back in her seat. "So how long did O'Neill say until our reinforcements would get here?"

* * *

_Dakara High Orbit, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 5:25 p.m. GMT._

Admiral Han Shintre did not trust in luck or coincidence. When an enemy attacked a planet, especially an enemy that was as brilliant and lethal as the Ori, he knew the attack had to be for a reason.

When he got the general distress signal from Commodore Kamanin regarding the ambush at Merlin's world, he believed he understood. It was a masterful stroke. Divide Earth's forces, and then destroy them one group at a time.

It meant the Ori soldiers on the ground were a sacrifice, but everything Shintre and the Commonwealth knew about the Ori indicated they would not think twice about throwing their men away.

Still, Dakara was the capital world of the Jaffa, one of the Commonwealth's most active and trusted allies. And while Jedi Knights John Shepherd and Dana Mulder were proving to be effective against the two priors on the surface, and the Commonwealth soldiers had helped the Jaffa warriors turn the tide, Shintre knew he could not leave an injured star destroyer and an injured heavy cruiser alone to guard such an important world.

So, he relayed his position and status to Earth, and prepared to wait out the battle until the Ori turned their attention back to him, or until he received contrary orders.

Shintre realized after the alarms went off, however, just how far the Ori wanted to take this battle. Just over the horizon of the ship, ships began to appear. Only the first two proved to be Ori cruisers. The rest… "Tactical, analysis. What are those?"

"I'm reading two distinct energy signatures," the Tactical officer called back. "One matches the signatures from Commodore Kamanin's attackers. Hosnock. The other has an energy signature matched from the old Stargate records." He looked up. "The Aschen. Their energy signatures are significantly higher than the Hosnock. I'm reading ten Hosnock ships, and nearly twenty of the Aschen."

"Status of the _Jaina_ and _Beijing_?"

"_Jaina_ reports shield strength back up to forty percent and all weapons functioning. _Beijing_ reports shields at thirty-eight percent, primary weapons and starboard defense systems functioning. Six of our ha'tac escorts have enhanced shielding; the remaining twelve have traditional Jaffa armaments."

"Maybe they want to talk," the communications officer said.

Han looked and saw she was one of the _Dragon's Claw_ survivors, a Coruscanti. "Yes, and perhaps Hutts will start tap dancing." She couldn't help but laugh at the image.

"All ships raise shields, prepare for combat," Shintre commanded. "My compliments to Captain' Ar'Dahl of the _Jaina_, and would he please launch all fighters and support ships. Do the same for us. I want all F-501s in space now."

"Minister Teal'c reports all Jaffa death gliders launched," Communications said, fighting to maintain her spirits.

"Very well," Shintre said. "Has anyone here read the Earth author, Shakespeare?" Without glancing to see if anyone had, he chimed, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, or close the wall up with our English dead!'" He stood and hit the fleet-wide switch on his command chair. "All ships, target the Ori vessels first and foremost. Deploy resonance torpedoes. _Beijing_ and _Jaina_, stay back and provide covering fire. Antaran ships, please open a door for us."

The two Antaran mother ships surged forward and unleashed the maelstrom of their power, followed immediately by the rest of the fleet. Battle was joined.

* * *

**Author's Comments/Responses**

**Puto**--Err, I figured it couldn't hurt. Alias had some mythological tones to it behind Sydney that leant itself to this. And I loved the show, so why not? Glad it worked for you.

**Azral**--I appreciate that. I do have some stories on my favorites list that I think are truly enjoyable.

**Snowfur**--I wanted to show the Order in its larger, evolving state, rather than just glimpses of individual Jedi.

**Roosterman71**--It happenes. The build up does lead to something, I promise.

**Northern-megas**--The stargate has become a tactical weapon for soldiers and small arms, but the war has evolved to heavy engagements using larger, more deadly weapons that do not really fit through the gate. Hence the growing reliance on ships.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. At one point I was genuinely concerned if this story was going to even make a hundred reviews. The fact I've topped a two hundred is absolutely thrilling. Thank you all.


	75. The Quest for the Holy Grail

**Northern-megas**--I suppose I could, but somehow with military parlance I think at least under this generation of military officers it will remain a sill acronym. I would imagine as for what they can fit through, probably everything short of heavy armor and air support. As you'll see, they needed both in this case.

**Roosterman71**--Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Five: The Quest for the Holy Grail**

_Merlin's Planet High Orbit, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 5:32 p.m. GMT._

The Hosnock roared and leapt forward five meters in a single, inhumanly strong leap directly at Hanna Volper.

The fourteen-year-old Jedi padawan yelped like any teenage girl would. Then, unlike most teenage girls, she launched herself into a spinning somersault with her blue lightsaber flashing down so perfectly it cleaved the attacking creature's head in half, killing it before it even landed.

She came to her feet, ducked under the swing of another Hosnock's melee weapon, and dispatched it as well.

A strong Force-grip caught her before she could engage her third target and pulled her back just as the blast of a Romulan tank seared the air she occupied moments before and slammed into a Commonwealth All Terrain Attack Craft. The AT-AC, patterned off Imperial scout walkers only squatter, more heavily armored and armed, bounced back under the blast. It spun its quad laser cannons around and returned fire.

The Romulan tank hovered backward, but the AT-AC's target tracking compensated and pelted the tank repeatedly. Despite the punishment, the tank was able to get a final shot off before exploding. The second shot ruptured the AT-AC's thick armor and the bipedal walker exploded and toppled over into the trees.

Hannah picked herself up and looked back at Liz Evans, who saved her life between deflecting half a dozen disrupter blasts and beheading two Hosnock. She glanced further down the battle line and saw John O'Neill and Cassie Frasier fighting side by side, unconsciously synching their moves together as only those who had bonded could do. They would deny it until they were blue in the face, but the way they were able to read each other's movements and anticipate each other's decisions proved they were far closer than they claimed.

Around her, Commonwealth marines fired in increasingly tight quarters against the Ori-loyal ground forces. Most of the enemy soldiers were Hosnock and Romulan, but there were also a fair number of Ori-loyal humans and more than a few converted Jaffa as well.

Men screamed in pain and explosions ruptured the air. Overhead, an F-501 lost its wing to a Romulan fighter and spun into the trees, where it exploded. The Romulan fighter then lurched and exploded mid-air as another F-501 flanked by two _Predator_-class TIE fighters streaked across the sky.

"Mitchell!" Liz called.

"What!" one of the marines cried back.

"We've got to hold!"

"Tell the other guys that!" Mitchell shot back. "I'm not going anywhere."

Hannah squatted down between a pair of marines, catching her breath. It struck her like a brick that she had almost just died. If not for Liz, she would have. She didn't even sense the tank, since it had been targeting the AT-AC and not her. Behind them, she heard another pair of the walkers moving up to a better firing position, while scout bikes zipped through the trees.

She was fourteen years old, fighting a host of aliens on a planet millions of miles away from her home. If her parents knew, they would faint dead away. Suddenly she grinned and remembered the last time she attended public school. If Bart Kriker from her old elementary school years ago knew what she was doing, he would die of jealously.

"Hannah, you with us?" one of the marines asked.

She looked up, surprised. He was an officer, a captain perhaps twenty-six years of age. "You know me?"

The captain grinned. "Knight Evans' orders. We're to keep an eye on all the padawans."

She grinned right back, relieved rather than upset that she wasn't alone. "You don't argue with Liz when she's in mother mode," she agreed. Suddenly three Hosnock dropped from the trees directly in front of them, their wickedly curved melee weapons dripping blood. The Commonwealth soldiers learned quickly that while the Hosnock carried deadly disruptor weapons, the creatures preferred to spill blood personally.

Hannah's fear rose up and then was promptly kicked to the back of her mind as her training and the Force took over. She spun her lightsaber in a great arc, slicing through all three blades. She Force-pushed the middle one back, spun and kicked the one on the right long enough to stun it so the captain and the two marines with him could fire on it, and engaged the remainder on her left. She removed its slashing arm with one swipe, and then removed its head with the return stroke. The Hosnock ignored anything short of a mortal blow.

The middle one regained its feet and leaped forward. Hannah raised her hand, captured it in the Force and spun it about and slammed it to the ground. Stunned, it provided little defense when the Marines finished it off. She hadn't mastered lightning yet, but she considered herself reasonably skilled with a saber.

"So, did you keep an eye on that?" Hannah asked the captain.

He laughed. "Watched every second. Glad you're with us."

Nearby, Liz unleashed a bolt of white lightning into the faces of five stunned Hosnock, who howled like wolves as their fur sizzled and their bodies were flung into a squad of approaching Romulans.

This was not Liz's first battle. Aside from her battles on Earth, Liz had rotated with Max on the War duty roster to ensure at least one of them was with the kids. Max didn't want her to do even that much, but not even he could deny her skills were important.

Even as she fought for her life, Liz thought back to the road that brought her here. She remembered nine years ago, when she first met the Indian named River Dog, and how she was so terrified to join Max and the others when Michael was sick, and they all had to join together to save him.

Her terror sat in the back of her mind throughout her relationship with Max and the others in Roswell. She was afraid not just of the unknown—that somehow they were just using her for some greater plan—but she also feared what they were doing to her. Most of all, she was terrified of how deeply she loved Max.

That love won out over the fears. Once she accepted it, accepted Max, the fear began to fade. She was his wife. She was the mother of his children. She was a Jedi Knight. She was everything she wanted and needed to be, and even if she died right where she stood, she would die content.

The marines on either side of her stiffened. Their armor ceased shimmering and reverted to the white base color as both men collapsed, dead. As the sun started to rise, Liz felt an ominous thunder in the Force. "Priors!" she called. "Prior protocols!"

Marines began backing away while Cassie, John and Hannah came toward Liz. Through the tattered enemy ranks came the Ori priors, four in all. Each wore the spotless white robes of their order. Their skin was pale in the newborn daylight, marked with ominous sigils signifying their dedication to their gods. Their staffs burned bright white.

They did not speak. There were no exhortations to join the Ori or walk the path of Origin. After two years of intense warfare spanning five dozen worlds, both sides knew nothing remained to be said.

Liz stepped to the front with her saber at her side. She reached inside for that beast of fear that had haunted her when she was younger. It was gone. The only fear came from her padawans. Despite his memories, John O'Neill was a young man. Cassie and Hannah were also just teenagers, and none of them had faced Priors before.

Liz faced the four Priors calmly, and spread that calm to her pupils. "Emotion, yet peace," she said.

"Ignorance, yet knowledge," Hannah said.

"Passion, yet serenity," John continued.

"Chaos, yet harmony," Cassie said, her voice strong.

"Death, yet the Force," Liz finished.

"Pizza, without anchovies," John added under his breath.

Cassie snorted. The priors stared at the Jedi as if they all had odd protuberances growing from their faces. Then, they lowered their staffs and the crystals took on a brilliant glow.

With a flick of the Force, Liz caused a detonator to activate. The twenty pounds of C-4 buried along the front lines in the minutes before the battle lines were drawn went off. The four priors were tossed against trees, and one was killed immediately, as attested to by the cleansing fires of his gods. That line of explosives was why Liz told Mitchell they had to hold. They had to hold until the Priors arrived and they could use the explosives.

"You just gotta love the Prior protocols!" John laughed.

"Four on one, one at a time, go!" Liz called, and the four Jedi leapt to engage the first of the stunned and dazed Priors. The Force was powerful, but the Force and plastic explosives made for a potent combination.

Osric stumbled along with the alien squad, stunned by their efficiency and power. He quickly learned the names of the warrior angels. The blue-haired angel was Siana, the blonde beauty was Tess, while the one with the long hair who first spoke to him was Sidney, and the only man in their company was named Michael.

Accompanying them was a squad of twenty men in odd, shimmering suits of armor and weapons that shot red lightning. And a fussy little man named Rodney.

Twice the fearsome monsters had attacked them, and twice the warrior angels, who called themselves Jedi, fought them back while the men in armor killed the enemies with their lighting weapons. Rodney stayed close to Osric in the center of their squad during the skirmishes, and continued on without outward shows of fear.

"You are brave for a scholar," Osric said, himself terrified.

Rodney shrugged. "We're surrounded by four Jedi. I'm safer here than at my home on Earth."

"That's very sweet, Rodney," one of the angels, the blonde one, said. "Not all that smart, but very sweet."

Rodney shrugged and looked like a skolick bird preening for a mate. He then made a show of studying the instrument in his hand. "We're coming up on a massive power signature ahead of us."

"These are the edges of the cursed land," Osric confirmed.

"Master Delun," one of the soldiers said.

Siana followed the man's finger, as did Osric. He swallowed a scream when he saw one of the fearsome beasts in mid-air, leaping toward them. Only, the leap seemed frozen. The creature floated in the air, his lizard-like face frozen into a toothy snarl, the odd fur visible between strips of armor stuck mid-bristle.

"Wow," Rodney whispered. "Localized pockets of time distortion. Sam would wet herself if she were here."

"Not likely," Siana said. "Can you locate the pockets?"

"My instruments aren't that advanced," Rodney said. "How about you? What does the Force tell you?"

"Everything is blurred here," Siana said. "I can't sense anything for sure."

"These are traps?" Osric said, making an intuitive leap.

"I think so," Rodney said.

Osric picked up a stone and tossed it toward the creature the others called Hosnock. The stone stopped mid-light half a foot from the beast. He lifted another and tossed it a few feet to the left and the rock landed without pause. A third rock a few feet further left froze mid-air.

"It's not perfect," Siana said with an approving nod, "but it will do. And there's something else that might work." She lit her saber and stepped toward the Hosnock until the tip of her blade disappeared. She pulled the blade back and studied her squad. "Gather stones. We're going to go slow, single file. Stones to detect the fields, sabers to determine exact edges. Jedi, once you know the edges, scar the ground, and everyone else stay in those marks."

"That's just bizarre," Rodney said twenty minutes later when the entire squad became trapped in a field that held nothing more than a treasure chest. "It's like we're stuck in a 10th Century passion play using 21st Century technology."

"It must be a test," Osric said as he examined the chest. "Our Lady left the Parchment of Virtues as a guide for those knights who demonstrate virtue enough to seek the Sangraal. The Virtuous Knight must demonstrate prudence, charity, kindness, wisdom and faith. Our lady says the Sangraal belongs only to he who speaks the guardian's name."

Rodney huffed. "Let me guess. The guardian is a dragon or something ridiculous like that."

Osric blinked. "It is a dragon most certainly, but I would not ridicule it. It is a fearsome beast who just last year consumed a young man of our village who thought himself a worthy knight."

"So let's treat this like a maze," Sidney said, her analytical mind running through the facts. "We exercised prudence when we made it through the time distortion fields. If the parchment lays the virtues out in a specific order, it makes sense the tests would follow that order."

"This is charity," Siana realized.

They opened the chest and found it filled with gold coins and precious stones. "Is it charity for us?" Rodney asked, staring at the stones. "That would buy some serious computing power. And a nice hovercar."

"It could also buy your soul," Tess said, a little sharply. "Weren't you the one who told me about the tests SG-3 went through when they found Avalon?"

"Charity is to share," Siana said. "So, we give. Everyone, put something in the chest of value. Money, watches, whatever you have." Jedi and most Commonwealth marines did not carry currency into the field since alien worlds had little use for the Commonwealth dollar. But they carried watches, knives, trinkets and other items.

One after the other they placed an item in the chest. When Osric placed a silver coin from his purse, the field dissolved into nothing. "I'm beginning to dislike this Morgan La Fay," Rodney muttered.

"I'm sure Merlin felt the same way," Tess said as she patted his arm.

Once out of the forest they came to the mouth of a set of caves. "This just keeps getting better," Rodney muttered.

This latest complaint prompted Siana to turn to Tess and say, "And you actually think he's cute?"

"In a sad puppy-dog kind of way," Tess said.

Rodney perked up. "You think I'm cute?" he asked.

"In a puppy-dog sort of way," Michael Guerin growled. "So, Osric, what next?"

"Kindness, I would suppose," Osric said.

They started in, and almost immediately came across a plaque. "Of course, it would be a plaque," Rodney muttered. "Now it's like an old game of D&D."

"Choose the way that is just and true," Siana read. Almost immediately they heard the cry of a child's voice.

"Just and true would be helping someone in need," Sidney pointed out.

They followed the sound of the cries until they came across a heavy gate and a small child stuck below it. "Looks real enough for me," Michael muttered. The four Jedi stepped forward and with the Force lifted the gate.

The moment the child came free, both the gate and child disappeared and left an open path. "Kindness," Tess said, ticking off her fingers. "Wisdom and Faith come next."

They continued until they reached another plaque. "I am struck and cut, shaped and cooled, then bound by rings to release what's stored," Siana said.

Instantly the roof began to crumble. The Jedi lifted their hands and held the stones at bay, but only with great effort. "The answer is obviously a KEY!" Rodney said.

Nothing happened. Then the scientist struck his head. "Of course. It has to be in Ancient. Anyone know the Ancient word for Key?"

"Clavia!" Tess said. The rumbling stopped and the path before them cleared. They all turned and stared at the young woman.

"What? I told you that Daniel showed me how to get in. I don't remember everything, but he told me three words I had to remember. Clavia. Ventio. Contagia, and a fourth thing I'm trying to remember. We were a bit stressed."

"I hope it comes to you," Michael muttered.

They came to the next plaque, and as soon as Siana read it, Tess shouted, "Ventio!" and their path cleared again.

The last plaque was faded and mostly illegible. Siana read what she could, and Tess shouted once more, "Contagia!"

The path cleared, and they continued down the path until they turned a corner and found themselves facing a curtain of fire crackling across the passage from one wall to the other. "I don't like fire," Michael said. Beside him, Tess nodded. The burns they suffered at the hands of Colonel Green years ago still haunted their sleep at times.

"I don't think we'll be burned," Siana said with certainty. She turned to the other Jedi and grinned. "I have faith." She stepped through the flames, and instantly they disappeared, leaving the cave cool and damp, as if no such flame ever existed.

They continued walking until they reached a narrow stone bridge overlooking a steep… "Is that a canyon?" Rodney asked.

Michael levitated a large rock over the edge and dropped it. They listened and listened, and still no sound came. "I'd call it a chasm."

"Definitely a void," Tess said.

"A void implies absence. It has air. It physically has to have a bottom. Chasm is better."

"Already arguing with each other," Michael said. "That's not a good sign."

Rodney looked around with a confused expression. "What's that mean?"

"It means we walk very carefully, no more than one at a time on the bridge," Siana said. "Michael, bring up the rear. Everyone, let's head out." She led the way with sure footing across the bridge, and then waited for the next person to come. Eventually, all arrived onto a platform that held only a pedestal with a small glowing orb.

"So, what do we do next?" Michael asked.

"You die."

Every one turned and raised their weapons as a beautiful young woman wearing too-tight leather and a billowing cloak stepped from the shadows. A moment later, a familiar figure stepped from the shadows to stand just behind and to the right of her.

"Daniel," Siana said, carefully.

"They came just as you promised they would," Adria purred, reaching up and sinuously running her fingers across the strong line of Daniel's jaw. Her eyes locked on Siana's. "You must be Katarn's little orphan. What is it he used to call you? Little Girl Blue? I almost hope he is watching, so he can see what I will do with you."

She raised a hand and the Jedi tensed. But nothing happened. Adria's eyes widened. "What is this?"

She spun around to Daniel, who looked impassively. "You! You did this! You have betrayed me!"

"I did not," Daniel said calmly. "This is a seat of Ancient power. Your powers will not work here."

"He's right, she doesn't have her powers," Siana quickly realized.

Michael's saber came to life with a snap-hiss. "Then let's end this now."

Daniel stepped in front of Adria. "No," he said.

"Daniel," Siana said, glaring at Adria. "We could end the war right now."

"It would not end," Daniel said. "The Priors would continue, and the Ori would simply create another vessel. You won't harm her. I love her."

"You lie!" Adria hissed. "You betrayed me."

Daniel turned to her and looked down. She swung her hand in a vicious slap, but he caught her wrist easily. "I betrayed your cause," he whispered softly, "but never you."

"I am my cause."

"You are Adria. Your cause is your purpose, not your identity. I know you can never forgive me for this, but I never lied to you. You are beautiful, and I will always love you."

"I will kill you the next time I see you!" she growled.

He leaned over and brought his lips to her. Even as she growled, the others noticed she did not fight as hard as her words would indicate. "I would die for you," Daniel whispered. "Even if by your own hand. But I cannot allow you to destroy this galaxy. I'm sorry."

He turned and passed his hand through the glowing orb. Instantly the way back to the bridge closed off and the other way opened onto an open plain. "And there's the dragon, of course," Rodney said, but sounding shaken even so.

A billow of fire burst from the mouth of a T-Rex sized beast with wings, a tail and a temper to match. Although her powers were gone, Adria possessed a personal shield not unlike those of the Goa'uld and shielded herself from the fire. The others were forced to duck for cover.

"Daniel," Tess said, "I can't remember the fourth word!"

"It is the name of the Guardian," Daniel said calmly. He stepped out from behind a sparking tree and turned to face the dragon even as Adria stared fire at him. "Ganos Lal!"

The dragon faded from view, and in the caves behind them they could see hints of a different place than what they just left. "This is not over," Adria promised as the whole squad trudged back to the cave. "My second wave of ships has by now overwhelmed your fleet. Your ground forces will be obliterated, and whatever it takes I will chase you all the way across the galaxy."

"We won't be hiding," Daniel said. Suddenly he, the other four Jedi and Rodney disappeared.

Left behind, Osric and the twenty soldiers that accompanied them found themselves alone in the room with the leader of the Ori armies. "If you run now, you might escape before my Forces arrive," she said through clenched teeth.

The soldiers turned and ran, with Osric a step behind.

* * *

Drastically outnumbered, Commodore Adele Kamanin had no choice but to order a general retreat. The _Fel's Pride_ was flaring along its port side where a concerted blast of Ori and Romulan fire had penetrated its shields and damaged four of its eight main guns. The _Dehli_ herself limped along at half power. Although her primary guns were technically functional, they lacked power enough to fire. One Antaran mothership survived, also severely damaged.

Bringing up the shattered group was the UECS _Leonidas_. Of all the ships, _Leonidas_ suffered the most. One entire docking nacelle was gone, the main guns were off line and most of the point defense weapons were out. The ship was reduced almost to the old rail gun emplacements that served as anti-fighter weaponry.

This was not the first time Earth had suffered losses. Its fleet had been decimated on several occasions, but with shipyards on the moon and an orbiting shipyard in the Jovian belt on loan from the Galactic Empire, their ship production had increased exponentially. Already dozens of ships were scheduled to come off the line in the next two months.

Still, the loss of two attack command carriers, a destroyer, one of the Imperial star destroyers and two Antaran motherships stung like few losses they had suffered through the war. Most importantly, though, she was forced to abandon ten thousand marines and eight Jedi on the planet surface with no orbital support. And it happened on her watch.

"Seventy percent power has been restored," Commander Archer reported. "Shields are back up to thirty percent. We can fight if we need to."

"Casualty report?"

Archer's face fell. "Engineering lost twenty-three people, and we lost another ten when decks three and four decompressed when we lost shields temporarily. Considering the shape the other ships are in, we got off lucky."

Thirty-three dead. Statistically, they were lucky.

"Commodore," the communications officer said. "We've got incoming ships. It's the _Washington_, sir. The reinforcements have arrived."

"On screen," Kamanin said.

The screen flashed to a region of space suddenly made blue by Cronau radiation as ship after ship emerged into real space. The only ship she recognized was the _Washington_, made distinct by the double-barrel shotgun configuration of its heavy lasers jutting out from below the prow. The other ships looked almost Asgard, and yet with distinct differences. Their bodies were rounded, more saucer-shaped, but still retained the definite sleek sheen of the Asgard.

The screen blinked and was replaced by the face of Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill himself. "Commodore," the Admiral said. "We're not having a good day, are we?"

Kamanin was Russian born and bred. She had never understood or appreciated O'Neill's odd sense of humor. But the relief at seeing his face was such she couldn't help but smile. "I've had better days, Admiral."

The screen split, and next to O'Neill's face was…something that looked vaguely like an Asgard, only with almost human-proportioned eyes set inside a still large cranium. And, more oddly, the creature wore clothing.

"Commodore Kamanin, it is good to see you well," the creature said in Supreme Commander Thor's voice.

"Thor?" she asked, startled.

"Long story," O'Neill said. "I'd tell you all about it, if I understood any of it. But that's why the Asgard have been playing an ancillary role in the war for the past two years. But evidently they're done with whatever they had to do, and here they are."

And they were there indeed. Adele counted two dozen of the oddly shaped Asgard ships, half again as long as the kilometer-long _Washington_. "We've got to hurry," Kamanin said. "I was forced to abandon our people on the surface."

"You did what you had to do to preserve the remainder of the fleet," O'Neill said firmly. "I'd have done the same. You did your best and have earned the respect of Fleet Command for those efforts. Return to base for repairs. We'll take it from here."

"Yes, sir!" Kamanin said. "Good luck."

"Who needs luck when you've got a fleet of Asgard at your back?" O'Neill said, grinning.

Author's Note: I admit readily that they found Merlin's weapon much, much easier in my story than in canon. That was intentional. I didn't want to waste your time rewriting material that was already covered. So I concentrated on getting them through so I could move on. I hope that doesn't cause to many of you to go, "What is that guy thinking?"

Thank you for reading!

DM


	76. The Crystal Cave

**Beth Weasley**--They did indeed. No hasty Asgard racial death in this story!

**Snowfur**--I'm glad that wasn't an issue. And although it got panned, my inclusion of Roswell had many consequences, including the Asgard's solution to their little problem.

**Azral**--Yeah, but I hope it flowed well. Thanks for reading!

**Northern-megas**--Hosnock are actually a one-time appearing species from Star Trek: TNG. And we never see Romulans in combat in canon, but you know they couldn't be complete pushovers if they had an Empire worth the name.

**Manus Dei**--That was my thought with the Aschen. See note above. The Hosnock never appeared on screen, but were wiped out by an ascended being who had assumed a human form to live with his wife, only to have his wife killed by the Hosnock. My descriptions of them are my own invention--I just borrowed the name.

**Roosterman71**--Osric in the original was Adria. In mine he was his own man. Glad it worked for you.

**Tombadgerlock**--Thanks for reading, I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Six: The Crystal Cave**

_Merlin's Planet, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 7:32 p.m. GMT._

Liz limped backward as her lightsaber flashed across her eyes, deflecting disruptor and stave blasts. The Ori had reinforced their position in strength, and the Commonwealth forces had little choice but to retreat back through the woods.

Three times Priors came against them, and three times the Jedi fought them off or killed them outright. The Prior Protocols second phase were a set of new anti-prior weapons that created disrupting energy fields that could temporarily strip priors of powers. Since they had to surround the priors to work, they only worked once.

The second and third times they had to fight without aid. They won, but not without a price. Hanna Volper was evacuated from the front line with a stave wound to the chest. She was going to survive, but only if they were able to get off the rock. Cassie was fighting one handed due to a disrupter burn on her left shoulder.

John O'Neill fought on her left side, making up for her wounds. And Liz had an out-right hole in her right thigh where a stave had managed momentarily to pierce her defenses.

"This sucks!" Mitchell called. His armor had long ago lost its charge and was now as white as storm trooper armor, save for the carbon scoring from repeatedly close calls. "No contact from air cover in over an hour. We lost our last AT-AC with that last encounter and energy packs are falling low. We're going to have to switch over to P-90s here in a bit if we don't get some support."

Liz nodded—she needed no report to know they were in a losing position. Just half an hour ago, they all saw a massive bar of fire burning through the sky. She couldn't identify exactly which ship it was, but she could see from the outline visible even with the naked eye that it was a Commonwealth destroyer that fell from the heavens. The resulting explosion just over the horizon had the destructive yield of a thermonuclear bomb and sent shockwaves for miles in every direction.

At the time, Padawan O'Neill said, "I hope it landed right on their port-o-potties!" It elicited a few smiles, but watching hundreds of their fellow humans die was not a laughing occasion.

Now, they were running low on supplies and fighting a rearguard retreat through the woods. "Fire in the hole," a soldier called. Liz, Cassie and John all hit the deck as a round of automated mortar shells landed with computer precision on the approaching line of soldiers.

"We lose any more Jedi," Colonel Cameron Mitchell said, "we won't have anything left to throw at the priors. You and the others need to back off the front lines."

It was a mark of her exhaustion and Cameron's logic that Liz did not argue. Even with the Force as her ally, it had been a long time since she'd fought continuously for so long against an inexhaustible foe. Modern warfare was fast and lethal. But the followers of the Ori ignored half that equation, throwing away lives in order to continually push the Commonwealth Forces.

She nodded to John and Cassie, and with Mitchell and a pair of marines fell back further into their shifting lines, until they reached the first of the transport trains. They found Hanna almost immediately, breathing lightly while Dr. Carolyn Lam and a medic worked on her chest.

Liz stepped to her side. "How are you doing?"

Hanna smiled weakly. "Least they missed my boob. I just got the things; I'd be pretty upset if I had one burned off."

Nearby Cassie snorted and John looked embarrassed. Liz just laughed and leaned over to gently kiss the young padawan's forehead. As much as her own children, Liz cherished Hanna. "You'll be all right. Go into a healing trance. We'll protect you."

Hanna smiled up at Liz. "I know you will." She took as deep a breath as she could without wincing, and closed her eyes to sink into a deep, healing trance.

Lam nodded with satisfaction. "She wouldn't go down before she saw you. Now that we have her in her trance, we should be able to treat this."

"Was her lung punctured?"

"It was. I injected the wound with bacta. Between that and her trance, she should make a full recovery." She stood and looked up the long train of wounded. "I have a lot of work to do."

"Go, Carolyn," Liz said. "We'll watch her."

The former SGC chief medical officer gave a stout nod and continued up the train to the next wounded soldier. The medic stayed there, eyeing Liz's leg and Cassie's arm.

"Liz," Cameron said, "sit down, sweetie, before you fall. Let's at least take a look at that leg. You too, Cassie. Frazier would kill me if I let anything happen to her little girl."

"Yeah, she would," Cassie said with an easy laugh.

"We're not going to hold," John O'Neill summed up as the two others let themselves be treated. "We don't have any fortifications to fall back to, and with the communications black out we don't even know if we have a fleet to return to. The Stargate is so far behind enemy lines I don't even want to think about it.

"Have faith," Liz said. "One way or the other, things will work out."

"It's that 'other' way that worries me," John said. He heard Cassie yelp as she flexed her wounded arm and he almost stumbled over himself to go to her.

"Stop hovering," she said, even as she kissed him.

Liz ignored them and concentrated on easing the pain in her leg as the medic cut away the thigh plate from her armor, and then the fabric below it. "A clean burn," the medic summarized. "Missed the bone and the femoral artery." He placed a bacta patch over both the entry and exit points and wrapped it up with gauze before taping the thigh plate back in place. When finished, he looked up and smiled. "Won't even leave a scar once the bacta's done."

"Thank you."

Suddenly troops emerged from the tree line in front of them, firing at unseen targets still in the woods. Liz heard the grinding sound of Romulan tanks and the Hosnock equivalent, and knew their reprieve was over.

"Get ready," Cameron said. "Defend the wounded!"

Suddenly the sky cracked open. Clouds billowed down and away in the pre-dawn sky as a massive ship dropped into the atmosphere. In the distance Liz could see another. It wasn't until they heard the ringing zip and the bright white lights of Asgard beams that they realized reinforcements had finally arrived.

Ori and Romulan fighters tore through the sky and fired on the massive Asgard ships, but were quickly removed by more of the white beams. The ringing sound grew shockingly loud as it swept the trees just in front of them. Where it passed, the only sound remaining was that of the wind blowing in the trees.

"This is Admiral O'Neill to any Commonwealth ground forces. Come in."

Jack O'Neill's voice roared through every communicator in every helmet in the entire operation. The surviving marines let up a roar of joy at the sound. "Nice of you to drop by," Cameron Mitchell said with a huge grin when the worst of the commotion passed. "How are things up there?"

"Boring," O'Neill said. "They took a look at our new Asgard fleet and ran away. How are things down there?"

Mitchell's grin faded. "Pretty bad. We're in need of multiple triage and medical teams."

"A hospital ship just arrived," O'Neill said. "All Ori forces have either evacuated the planet or have been neutralized. This operation is over. Prepare to beam up. We'll debrief when you get back."

* * *

_Merlin's Cave, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 7:38 p.m. GMT._

Five Jedi and a scientist stood in a cave on a different planet than just moments ago. "We've moved," Michael said, sensing the different feel in the Force.

"Morgan Le Fey's automated defense system," Daniel explained. "It will continue to transport this entire cave through the Stargate for as long as we require, or until Adria catches up."

"How would she catch up?" Siana said suspiciously.

"She has much of the knowledge and power of the Ori in her. They, with the Ancients, were the gatebuilders. She will be able to read our destination point through the DHDs. It's only a matter of time before she catches up with us."

"So where is the Sangraal?" Rodney asked.

Daniel shrugged. "It was destroyed thousands of years ago. The Ancients were terrified that such a weapon could exist, all but one."

He stepped aside, and in a far corner they could see an Ancient cold storage unit much like the one researchers found in the Antarctic base Kyle Katarn used to defend the world on Doomsday. Within the unit they could see an elderly man with a long white beard.

"Is that…?" Rodney started to say.

"Merlin," Daniel confirmed.

Siana stepped to within a foot of Daniel. "How can you know all this?"

"When Kyle absorbed the Ancient repository of knowledge, he somehow retained it all. He couldn't necessarily access or even understand it, but because of his heritage as a descended Alteran and because of his mastery of the Force, he was able to retain all the knowledge. When he and Adria fought during the first Battle of Sol, the moment before Kyle ascended he sent me that knowledge in a way I could retain it. All of it. As an Ascended being he would not be allowed to do it, but during those last few moments of his physical existence, he could bend the rules."

"You're an Ancient?" Rodney asked. He sounded somehow jealous.

"No, just a man. I'm following Kyle's guidance. But more. You see, there were Ancients who were frighteningly prescient in their predictions and prophecies. Morgan was sent by the other Ancients to keep a watch on Merlin, but she knew that someday his weapon may be needed. And so within the repository she stored a copy herself. As an Ascended being she could not interfere, but the copy of her corporeal form can without hindrance. It was the ghost of Morgan herself that guided me here."

"But why the subterfuge with Adria?" Tess asked.

"You'll see in time," Daniel said sadly. "I won't lie to any of you. I do have feelings for her. She has committed terrible atrocities, but I have also seen her face light up like a child's when someone accepts her message. I have seen her heal as well as kill. I've seen her weep at another's suffering, and then wipe out a whole village. She is the Messiah of the Ori. The fact the message is evil to us does not change that fact. She is a Messiah, and a beautiful and awesome being."

Rodney turned to Tess. "See. When you look at it like that, I'm not so bad."

Daniel arched a brow at the two, and then clapped his hands. "Okay, then. Let's see about waking Merlin up!"

The sheath covering the ancient figure faded on its own even before the Jedi could reach him, and the old man tumbled forward until Daniel caught him and lifted him to the archaic wooden table occupying the center of the cave, next to what looked like an Ancient repository.

"So what's Morgan telling you now?" Rodney demanded.

"Right now she's thinking how old he looks," Daniel said. "These stasis chambers can prolong life for hundreds of years, but there is a practical limit to how long you can stay in one and expect to live. We know he's been in there for at least a thousand years, judging by the fact he must have been in Europe during the time of King Arthur."

"Is she the only voice you hear?" Tess asked.

"No, unfortunately not. There's also something called a Q that pops in on occasion. You don't even want to start that conversation."

The old man's eyes flickered, and with help he sat up and looked around with a dazed expression. He looked from Siana, to Tess and then to Sidney. "Am I in Avalon again, surrounded by angels?"

"I like him already," Tess said with a smile.

"Merlin," Daniel said, kneeling down.

Merlin turned and stared at Daniel for the longest time, and then reached out and touched his head. "You carry much, don't you, Daniel Jackson?"

"How did you…"

"I knew you would come, I just did not foresee you coming like this." He looked around at the others, and saw the lightsabers hanging from their belts. "Jedi? I knew our lost children had founded the Jedi order in another galaxy, at least this is what our friends the Asgard said. But how came Jedi to this area? And how are you one of them, Daniel Jackson?"

"It was an accident," Daniel said. He nodded to Siana. "She is from the Corusca Galaxy and was a Jedi padawan. She crashed on Earth by accident seven years ago. Her master Kyle Katarn followed her, and together they founded a Terran Jedi Order. We've been fighting against a force called the Ori for two years now."

Merlin took a deep breath, and then slowly started to laugh. It was a dry, dusty sound, but still managed to bubble with mirth. "Oh, what a shock to the Ori that must have been, to find you here." He bent over and wheezed out a cough.

When he recovered, he said, "Where is Ganos?" Only then did the others realize Daniel and Merlin had been speaking in Ancient, and their LADs were translating for them.

"She has Ascended," Daniel said. "I carry a memory of her, but she herself has moved on."

Merlin nodded. "As much friend as foe. She opposed me, and yet saved me. I shall miss her for my short time in this realm." He took a deep breath, and looked around. "It is for the Sangraal that you come?"

"It is," Siana said soberly.

Merlin nodded tiredly and stepped toward the repository. "Watch, Daniel Jackson," Merlin said. "I do not have much time."

"I understand," Daniel said.

Merlin put his face to the visor of the repository. Almost immediately, a glowing object appeared over the table in the room. Daniel rested his hand on the old man's shoulder and closed his eyes, and in the Force the Jedi could feel him merging his consciousness with that of Merlin.

"Amazing," Rodney whispered as he studied his handheld triple recording device. "It's like an Asgard construction device."

It took nearly thirty minutes, but eventually a metallic plate materialized from the glowing pattern. Suddenly the entire cave shifted. "We've switched worlds again," Siana noted.

Merlin and Daniel stepped back from the device. "Morgan's protections again, to be sure." He straightened his back and looked appreciatively at Daniel. "You are strengthening me."

"You've spent thousands of years preparing to save us all," Daniel said. "I will do everything I can for you."

"All of us can," Siana said. "We are all Jedi."

Merlin nodded with a weak smile. "We in Atlantis only knew of the Jedi by way of the Asgard, who liked to watch surrounding galaxies and study them. By then the war with the Wraith was such that we had to pool all our resources to either flee, or Ascend."

"The Wraith?" Siana asked.

"Atlantis?" Rodney chimed.

"Stories for another time, perhaps," Merlin said. "We have to survive the now first." He stood with a little more spring in his step and returned to the repository with Daniel at his side. This time, however, Siana, Sidney and Michael joined them, linking hands and sending strength and energy through the Force into Merlin.

Rodney looked at Tess and then back at the others. "Why aren't you helping them?"

"I'm sending them what I can," Tess said. "My Antaran powers sometimes interfere with Force bonding. Spontaneous combustion and shooting fireballs. It's bothersome for everyone."

Rodney blinked and with a squeak, said, "Fireballs?"

She glanced back at the others, then took Rodney's hand and walked him to the mouth of the cave. The world they looked out on was one of clean desert and blue sky. It was as beautiful as Nevada. She stood there a moment next to Rodney before she said, "Rodney, what do you think there is between us?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened, then closed. Then he bent his head to study his feet, before finally nodding. "I get it," he said, crestfallen. "Puppy love. I'm an amusement for you." He looked at her, and for the first time saw nothing but her face. "I…things like this are really hard for me. I never dated much in school. I was a nerd and everyone knew it. Girls stayed away or made fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you, Rodney," Tess said. "I was raised by a killer, did you know that?"

Rodney shook his head.

"He went by many names, but I knew him as Nasedo. He was the appointed protector of the Royal Four—Max, Me, Isabel and Michael. Only, we were separated and he was only able to watch me. He killed humans without thought, any time we were endangered. He taught me that killing was okay to get what you needed. And so, getting what I needed, I killed Liz and Maria's best friend."

Rodney stammered. The personnel files of Jedi were wiped clean of any public record, so he knew nothing of their histories. "I'm sure that you…."

"One of my Antaran abilities is to warp the thought patterns of humans to believe what I willed. I had a young man named Alex Whitman trying to translate a document for me, but I warped his mind to think he went overseas. The warping kept slipping, and I had to keep doing it, until he had an aneurysm and died. I then warped the mind of my best friend into helping me make it look like Alex died in a wreck. That friend of mine was later killed by Kivar's agents here on Earth."

Rodney stared dumbfounded but wasn't able to speak.

"After Doomsday, I went back to Roswell and made a full confession and served two years before I was released on a probationary status to Kyle Katarn, and I've been a Jedi ever since."

"Why are you…?"

She smiled, and it was such a sweet expression Rodney couldn't imagine her doing those things.

"I can read your mind, Rodney," she said as she stepped closer to him. She slowly reached up to touch his cheek. He stood frozen in place. "I did do those things. And I am telling you because you have this image of me as a perfect person. That's not me, Rodney. I am a woman capable of anger and hatred. Of doing evil things. I can kill. I have found peace in the Force, and I pray that I will never be the woman I was, but I will never be the woman you think I am."

Rodney found himself pulled into the sea of her eyes. "Tess, I… I know I've been a pain. I don't care about what you've done. I spent most of my teen years playing video games." He ducked his head. "Then designing video games. What I see when I look at you is a genuine hero. I feel safe around you, even if it's only because I amuse you."

She smiled up, then pulled his head down until their lips melded. "You don't amuse me, Rodney," she said when they parted. "You make me feel like a woman." Then she gave a wicked little grin. "And if we survive this, I'm going to make you feel like a man."

Rodney blushed down to his navel. Tess laughed and kissed him again before turning and heading back into the cave. "God, I love that woman," he whispered to himself.


	77. Unending

**Snowfur**--There's more Q in thsi chapter. And he's annoying there too. And Rodney is in fact the perfect, quintessential nerd!

**Northern-megas**--And yet, they are cute in their own way. And you're right--the Romulans got their buts wiped in the Dominion war, so even with Ori backing a don't know how well they would do hundreds of years earlier against Imperial and Terran forces fighting side-by-side.

**Roosterman71**--Asgard make the best Cavalry. And I wanted to keep Merline around for a little longer. Glad it worked for you.

**Azral**--Thank you, I'm glad that's working out alright with you. I just like them for some reason.

**Tombadgerlock**--I appreciate all the reviews and feedback. Thank you. Keep in mind the Galactic Empire presented in the story has been taken from canon. So it's really Dark Horse Comics and Lucasffilm to blame. Rodney and Tess, however, is entirely my fault. I just think they're cute together.

Thanks to everyone for the reviews and for reading. A few months ago sitting at 85 reviews, I didn't think I'd even reach a hundred. Thanks to you that's changed. Thank you again!

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Seven: Unending**

_UECS_ Washington _HSC-113 orbiting Merlin's Planet, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 8:52 p.m. GMT._

When Liz saw Max standing on the edge of the beam receiving platform, she could not help the welling of a tear as she ran to meet him. The two embraced so intensely the padawans that beamed up with them coughed.

"What happened to Emotion, yet peace?" John asked.

"Shut up," Cassie said.

Liz ignored them and kissed Max intensely. Then she stepped back and said, "You left the kids."

"Mom, Isabel and Izzie are with them," Max said. "They're okay."

"You would never let me leave the kids alone."

"I would after a battle like you just survived," Max said, not backing down. He looked down at the taped armor plate on her thigh. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing a healing trance and the bacta won't fix."

Behind them, Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill clapped his hands. "Folks, got more people coming. Let's move it along." He looked at John with an arched brow. "Hello, Mini-Me."

John stared right back. "Hello, Old-Guy me."

"Ouch," Cassie muttered.

O'Neill wasn't smiling, but they could feel the mirth rolling off him. "Come on, let's get to the bridge."

"So what's up with the Asgard?" Liz said. "Are those new ships?"

"Everything about the Asgard is new," Max said. "When they first responded to Admiral O'Neill's request for aid I thought they were Antarans."

They arrived on the spacious but low-ceilinged bridge. Even with modern technology, space in spaceships was expensive. Floor space was doable, but almost every inch of the ceiling was taken up by pipes, vents, or computer screens. In the middle of the bridge, surrounded by bustling humans and an occasional Vulcan or Jaffa stood a creature at once utterly alien and yet completely familiar. He stood perhaps five feet tall, only a little shorter than Liz herself, and wore a white robe cinched at the waist. His arms were much thinner than human norm and his head was larger, but his eyes were not too much larger than those of an Antaran. The only thing familiar from his old Asgard self was the deathly pallor of his skin.

In the Force, Liz recognized him immediately. "Thor?"

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Knight Evans," Thor said. "I regret the losses you suffered. We came as soon as we could."

"What happened to you?" Liz said.

"We have resolved our cloning difficulties," Thor said. "With yours and Max's help." Liz knew that the Asgard continued themselves through cloning. There had not been a new Asgard born in millennia. But she also had heard rumors that the Asgard were experiencing difficulty with their clones; that the cloned bodies grew weaker and more short-lived with each succeeding generation.

Then the second part of his comment caught her attention. "Our help?"

"It was the Gandarium," Max explained.

Liz blinked, and only then remembered the artificially engineered life form that the Antarans used to initially fuse the human and Antaran DNA that resulted in Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess. "I thought it was destroyed."

"Nucleotides remained in Max's bloodstream," Thor said. "He graciously offered us a sample. King Zane of Antar also allowed us to take extensive genetic samples of Antaran people, including his own, while our own studies provided samples of human genetic make up. While there are significant differences in all, using a newly grown Gandarium, we were able to recreate a viable version of a proto-Antaran/Asgard body with an enhanced humanoid immune system. Although we will continue to clone for the continuation of those individuals who wish to continue, our species will start again with the ability to procreate."

He said the last word as if it were immensely distasteful.

"This means that you're not going to die out," Liz said.

"Indeed," Thor confirmed. Although his face was more human in appearance, he still did not emote physically. His age alone might have prevented even the possibility. "We look forward to many more eons of partnership with the Fifth Great Race."

Liz leaned over and gave the startled creature a hug. She leaned back and smiled. He was emoting now with a frown. "Get used to it," she said, laughing. "Physical contact is essential if you ever want to procreate."

Thor visibly shuddered. "I believe my participation in such affairs will be of little value. Still, I shall keep your recommendation in mind. Where is Jedi Master Delun?"

Liz reared back and looked up at Max. "She's not here?"

"She wasn't on the surface at all," Max said. "We got a brief reading of a sizable force of Ori soldiers going through the Stargate before the Ori fleet retreated, but we don't have anything from Siana."

"We did get a message from Admiral Shintre, though," Jack said. "The Ori have a new ally. You won't know about them, but I've met the Aschen. Slick little bastards."

"They attacked him at Dakara?" Liz asked.

"He beat the snot out of them," Jack said, gloating. "Just plastered their whole fleet and two Ori mother ships. Plus a fleet of Hosnock. I've already told Minister Maynard that when I retire, he's going to have to promote that man."

"Even I see the irony in promoting the man who ordered the destruction of an Earth continent to the position of Fleet Admiral charged with its protection," Thor said.

"Yeah, there is that," Jack muttered. "Well, now all we can do is head back home until we hear from Siana. She's obviously not here."

"Home sounds good," Liz admitted.

* * *

_Merlin's Cave, Monday, August 25, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 8:45 p.m. GMT._

Merlin stepped away from the repository with a sigh. "Amazing," he said as he did so. "Your powers of healing are greater even than those of my people. I should be dead by now, and yet I feel better than when I entered the chamber."

He still looked as old as sand, but Siana smiled at his energetic tone.

The result of his energy rested on the table before them. "That's the Sangraal, then?" Rodney asked, studying it with hand, eyes and handheld sensor.

"No, that's the activator," Merlin said. He reached up and held the crimson stone hanging from his neck. "This is the actual Sangraal—the key that makes it all work. When placed in the activator, all Ascended beings in this galactic space-time region will cease to exist."

He took off the stone, and handed it to Daniel. "You must know that the Ori will attempt to stop you."

"Will the Ancients?"

"Doubtful," Merlin said. "That's why I chose to regain my human form. As a human, they have no control over me without breaking their own rules. But they will break those rules to preserve their own existence."

"What about Q?"

"What are Q?' the other Jedi asked in unison. Rodney closed his mouth when he saw they beat him to the question.

Merlin sighed. "You have been in contact with the Q?" He shook his head. "They are hard to predict. Even as Ascended beings, there were beings even beyond our plane, ancient even to the Ancients. The Alterans and other Ascended beings were just that—corporeal races that evolved and ascended to a higher plane. We do not believe the Q ascended. We believe that they came into existence when this universe was created. If the Q view this as a threat, then we are all doomed. They would gladly destroy our galaxy before allowing any one of their number to perish. Then, they might do so just out of pernicious spite. For omnipotent beings, they show a stunning lack of maturity."

Siana blinked. "They could do that?"

"The Ori consider themselves gods," Merlin said. "Yet I can shield us against their wrath here. The Q _are_ gods. Should one choose to come, there would be little I could do to protect you."

A flash of white light like an Asgard beam burned in the cave for a moment, and in its place stood a man in his late forties, with thinning black hair and a Romanesque nose.

"He's right, you know."

"Q," Daniel said calmly.

"Hello, Daniel. Congratulations on Adria. A delicious piece of betrayal there." He sneered much like a school child. "She's really unhappy. She's following after you, by the way. I suspect in another hour or so, she'll catch up."

Siana backed away from the creature called Q. In the Force, his light shown so brightly it hurt. She noticed winces from the other Jedi as well, and eventually had to stop using her Force senses.

"Good decision," Q said, looking her in the face. "Your puny Force gives just enough insight into my true being to be dangerous. You do not want to see my true self. Your minds are not capable of processing that information."

"Are you here to stop us?" Daniel asked. He retained his calm exterior.

"I haven't decided yet," Q admitted. "The Continuum is looking into your little toy to see if it poses a threat or not. Personally I think it might tickle a little, but I doubt it would be lethal to us.'

"Then why are you here?" Siana asked.

Q shrugged. "I enjoy irritating little Danny boy there. Also, it's fun to let people know when they're going to die."

Merlin shrugged with irritation. "You Q are as arrogant now as when we first Ascended."

Q laughed. "And you Alterans are as stupid now as Ascended beings as you were before you ascended." He stood abruptly and crossed the floor to put an arm around the Ancient's shoulders. "Except you, Merlin. I've watched you for a long time. You had foresight. Gumption. But even you had bouts of Homo Ancientus stupidity. You know the mantle you hid your notes in? These little insects are going to turn it into shielding for their ships. Why didn't any of you ever think about that during your war with the Wraith?"

Merlin's eyes widened. "By the stars," he whispered.

Q stepped back with his arms stretched out triumphantly. "Even with nothing but intellect, the Q show themselves superior."

"Why are you here, Q?" Daniel asked.

Q suddenly looked bored. "The Ori know what you've been up to. They're ready for you. The moment that ship crosses the event horizon of their supergate, the Ori will pour all of their hate into the gate and destroy it before the device has a chance to begin the energy transfer. If you try crossing galaxies by ship, they will strike you down in the void. You have your weapon, but you have no means of deploying it."

"He's helping us," Michael said of Q.

"He's helping us," Daniel agreed. He turned to study Q. "You've been trying to help us since the first time you contacted me on Kheb."

Q shrugged. "You're more fun than the Ori," he admitted grudgingly. "Ori followers are so boring. No excitement, no challenges. Prayer three times a day. Pious thoughts. Absolute devotion. No exploration. No original thoughts. Burning blasphemers every second Thursday at four. It gets boring."

"Why don't you just snap your fingers and make the Ori go away?" Siana said. "You're omnipotent."

Q snapped his fingers, and the Jedi Master suddenly found herself doing the chicken dance to a German polka band that materialized just as quickly. He snapped his fingers and once again the cave fell into quiet.

Siana stared, stunned at the display of power. Michael found himself laughing. "I never knew you could dance like that, Siana."

Q snapped his fingers, and Michael suddenly found himself in a pink tutu doing pirouettes while a full orchestra played Swan Lake. A moment later, it faded. "Touché," he muttered.

"Very impressive," Daniel said. "But back to the question. Why don't the Q confront the Ori directly?"

"There are limits," Merlin finally said. "The Q are omnipotent, but the Ascended beings are not without power. Although the Q would undoubtedly win, there is the very real risk that individual Qs could be destroyed."

"You know what happens when a Q dies, Danny boy?" Q asked. "Suns go supernova and planetary systems die. Whole quadrants of this galaxy could cease to exist."

"Any conflict would have disastrous affects through the Omniverse," Merlin said. "That is why the Ancients do not confront the Ori directly."

"Kyle once said the Ori tried to destroy the universe to remake it in their image," Siana said.

"After the Jedi of your old galaxy kicked their collective posteriors, we disabused them of that notion," Q said. "We showed them they would not survive outside of their dimension, while we would. We do not want to go through another four or five billion years waiting for intelligent life to begin again. It was bad enough the first four times."

While Rodney started sputtering with Q's casual dismissal of the origin of the Universe, Daniel said, "Do you have any suggestions, then?"

"None at all, Danny-boy. Think of it as a test. You've spread out across the stars faster than any species in history. You went from fossil-fuel based airplanes to hypermatter-fueled superlasers in less than a decade. Your cities have '57 Chevys driving on the ground and Model 3 Toyota hover cars in the air. You have people still starving to death in Africa while your ships provide emergency supplies to Jaffa on Dakara. You have terrorist groups on Earth trying to destroy any alien presence there, while you actively recruit non-humans to aid you. Are you truly ready to take a place in galactic affairs, Danny-boy?"

"Does it matter?" Daniel asked. "It's too late to ask if we're ready. We're already here, and we can't put that knowledge back in the box."

"True," Q said with a smile. He pinched Daniel's cheek. "Good boy, Danny. Sometimes it's not the answers you have that matter, but the questions you ask."

With that, Q was gone.

"I have never liked those beings," Merlin sighed.

"So what do we do?" Michael asked. "If he's right, how do we get the weapon to the Ori?"

Daniel merely slipped the Sangraal into the pocket of his Romulan-made slacks. "We have a plan."

"We?" Siana asked.

She and Daniel held eye-contact for several minutes, sharing a silent communication the others could not decipher. "Are you sure about this?" she asked finally.

"As sure as anything. If we're wrong, we lose it all."

Daniel turned to Merlin. "Can this device construct anything? Even a zero point module?"

Merlin nodded. "And I will show you how."

Rodney looked faint and had to sit down. "Can you show me?"

Merlin smiled down at the scientist. "It is not something I could show in a way you would understand, at least not in the time we have left. The Ori are coming soon. We must be quick."

They watched as the empty shell of a ZPM took shape over the table. Even with the introduction of stable nequadriah reactions and hypermatter reactors, they had yet to encounter any energy source as powerful or effective as ZPMs. Even the Corusca galaxy engineers were astounded by the power output of the half-depleted ZPM in Antarctica.

The air around the ZPM began to take on a glittering glow. Rings appeared over the air and then were sucked down into the crystalline structure. The rings grew larger and disappeared more rapidly, creating a whirlpool affect in the air as it created its own region of subspace time. Suddenly all the light and energy over it collapsed into the crystal, leaving the room oddly dark in its absence, save for the glow of the now fully charged ZPM.

"Oh my God," Rodney whispered. "It works?"

"It does," Merlin said. He stepped back and looked at Daniel. "You try."

Daniel, who had stood by Merlin with his hand on the older man's shoulder, repeated the exercise, and after a few minutes there were two ZPMs. Then three, followed by a fourth.

"My own ZPM is weakening," Merlin said after the fourth. "I wish I could do more for you, but four is enough."

"Yes," Rodney muttered. "We could power the Antarctic outpost at full power and have enough to adjust the phase shielding to a planetary scale."

"You never thought to use that as shields in your war against whatever those buggers are called?" Michael asked the Ancient.

"The Wraith?" Merlin said with a wry, sad smile. "No. By then we were in full retreat mode. We won every battle, and yet lost the war. Our technology held back the tide, but could not reverse it. Perhaps, should you ever return to Atlantis, you will fare better."

Before anyone could speak, the Jedi felt a darkness in the Force. "The Ori approach," Merlin whispered. "They have caught up to the cave's first line of defenses."

"Grab the ZPMs!" Rodney said, even as he moved to do exactly that. Sidney Bristow grabbed the weapon as Tess helped Rodney with his armful of ZPMs move behind Merlin and the other Jedi. Even as they took position, Ori soldiers began pouring into the cave, followed a moment later by Adria herself.

Her beautiful face was warped by rage. "You," she said, staring at Merlin. "You have no place in this galaxy."

"And neither do you, Abomination," Merlin snapped back.

"Give me the weapon," she demanded, "and I might let you all live." She looked at Daniel. "Except for you."

"There is no death," Daniel said.

"There is," Adria said. "I won't just kill your body. I will destroy your very soul."

"Exes make the worst enemies," Michael muttered.

"Enough!" Adria said. She raised her hands and around her the air began to shimmer with unbearable heat.

Merlin stepped forward, raised his own hands, and from them lashed lightning very similar to that of Jedi Force-lightning. Soldiers behind Adria screamed and died as she was forced to take a step back.

At that same moment, a white beam swept across the humans. When it passed, they found themselves in front of the cave on the edge of a cliff, overlooking an alien sea lit by four moons. A stargate stood at the edge of the cliff.

"Merlin evacuated us!" Daniel said.

"Rodney, go dial the Beta Site gate!" Siana said. "Tess, go with him."

Those Ori soldiers that survived Merlin's counter-strike rushed out of the cave entrance, only to be met by Michael and Siana. Two lightsabers blazed, and in seconds twenty soldiers died.

Just as Rodney finished dialing, all of them heard a loud explosion. They turned as the top of the rocky hill containing the cave blew outward and away. Billows of smoke washed out of the cave entrance, followed a moment later by Adria herself. Her black leather suit was actually torn in spots, revealing the olive-toned skin beneath. Her hair hung loose and wild about her neck, and her eyes glowed with white-yellow light.

The air around her shimmered as she summoned her power. "You cannot hide from me forever!" she cried as they all ducked into the gate. Daniel was the last and stood at the edge of the event horizon, staring back at her.

The shimmering disappeared as did the glow in her eyes. "You can't hide forever," she said again. Her voice had changed from that of the wrathful messiah of the Ori, to a woman looking at the man who hurt her.

"I am sorry," Daniel called back. "I love you." He turned and ducked into the gate, just as the wormhole deactivated.

Adria remained alone on the cliffs, staring blankly at the empty gate.


	78. Home

**Tombadgerlock**--Thor told O'Neill that it would take even the Asgard many centuries to go through the Ancient's repository of knowledge. The implication I got was that the Ancients were far more advanced than the Asgard. Hence O'Neill, with the Ancient knowledge, zipped up a weapon that defeated the Replicators where the Entire Asgard race couldn't.

**Northern-megas**--Daniel knows how now. He'll be able to translate the knowledge. It's not lost. And I think being a turd is simply who Q is. And he's probably bored of himself. I appreciate your review and support. Glad to have you along!

**Snowfur**--She killed him, but he didn't go without a fight. What really hurt was Daniel leaving her. You'll see later what that does to her.

**Roosterman71**--I admit to taking great pride in the last chapter's title. Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Eight: Home**

_Commonwealth, France, Tuesday, August 26, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 7:45 a.m. GMT._

The new Prime Minister's residence overlooked a 200 acre grassy field lined with white markers for all those killed in the Ori war. The new Commonwealth Memorial Cemetery was already filled with tens of thousands of such markers for those killed in the past two years.

Prime Minister William M. Charleston was fifty-seven when he assumed the office of leader of the world six years ago. Now, approaching his sixty-third birthday while leading his planet through a devastating alien assault and a two-year war that spanned the galaxy, William was feeling old.

There was already talk in Parliament of providing him special dispensation for a third term. He would need to cut that talk off. When he reached the end of his second five-year term, he was going to retire not just from world politics, but from public view entirely.

"Bill," Beatrice Franklin said, "they're waiting."

He turned around and looked at his oldest and closest friend. Beatrice was still wearing black, he saw, mourning the loss of her husband of thirty years just last month. It was a mark of her dedication, however, than she only took one week off before returning to work. "How are you holding up, Bea?"

"As good as can be," she said. "Are you ready?"

He nodded, and together they stepped into an adjoining conference room filled with the defenders of Earth and their allies.

Some were familiar faces. Admiral Jack O'Neill sat next to Defense Minister Maynard. On the other side was the Admiral's esteemed wife and Commonwealth Science Advisor, Dr. Samantha O'Neill, with one of her scientists. Down the side of the circular table he saw other faces. The Parliamentary Representative Shen Xiaoyi represented much of the Asian party and was the ranking member of the Defense Committee. Then came the true warriors. Jedi Master Siana Delun, Admiral Han Shintre, newly promosed Admiral Adele Kamanin, followed by their allies.

It still stunned the Prime Minister to see alien beings sitting at his table, however with the increased involvement of non-Terrans in the war there was no other choice but to include them in war planning. A perfect example was Vulcan Ambassador Mestral, the same man who lived on Earth for half a century. Vulcans now served in one capacity or another on half of the Commonwealth ships. He was appointed to the role based on his familiarity with Earth customs and people. Next to him sat Lord Admiral Antias Holon, plenipotentiary of his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Roan Fel. Beside the admiral sat Thor, clothed and more human-like, yet still distinctly alien. Beside the Asgard was an Antaran named Jial, looking not so dissimilar from Thor's new body, save for the ornate respirator mask she wore. Finally there was Deputy Minister Teal'c of the United Jaffa Confederacy.

Next to beings such as these, being the elected leader of Earth didn't seem quite as important as it used to.

All stood as he entered, and several bowed according to their own customs. Charleston returned their bows as they resumed their seat, Franklin by his side. "Thank you all for coming. Lord Admiral Holon, Ambassador Jial, on behalf of the people of Earth, I wish to express our deepest condolences for the losses to your people and ships, and also our deepest gratitude. I understand that, without question, we would have lost the recent battles if not for your involvement."

Holon and Jial both nodded acknowledgement. The Empire lost one of its star destroyers, the _Bastion_. The Antarans, who did not name their ships, lost two mother ships. Both losses meant hundreds of thousands of beings.

"I have read all the reports, and I want to assure everyone here that the losses we suffered this last week were not without cause. Dr. O'Neill?"

Sam nodded and shuffled some papers, which she then ignored as she leaned forward on her elbows to address the circular table. "We have obtained a weapon created by the Gatebuilders, whom we call Ancients, that we believe could actually kill the Ori."

Representative Xiaoyi cleared her throat. "We already have weapons that can kill Ori, Dr. O'Neill."

Charleston restrained an urge to shush her. She represented a significant part of his coalition and so kept his lips pressed firmly together.

However, he realized the question was merely fuel for Sam's fire. She responded best when challenged. "We have weapons that kill Ori servants, Representative Xiaoyi. This weapon can kill the Ascended beings we call Ori themselves."

"How is that possible?" Lord Admiral Holon asked.

It was Thor who spoke. "We have analyzed the weapon and determined that it transfers energy from subspace into the dimension in which the Ascended beings exist. The energy acts as a wave, and just as two waves cancel each other, the energy generated by this device would cancel the energy that comprises the Ori."

"So why not use it now?" Xiaoyi asked.

"Two good reasons," Sam said. "One, the Ori are not physically located in this Galaxy. Although it seems strange, evidently each galaxy represents a pocket of space time in the Ascended realms. If we set it off here, it would completely miss the Ori. Two, there are other Ascended beings here. Although I can't say they have helped us directly, we believe they have shielded us to a certain extent and kept the Ori themselves out. If we initiate the weapon, it would wipe out these Ancients, some of whom are likely ancestors to some of us."

"It would be a way to test the device," Xiaoyi continued.

Siana leaned forward for the first time. The two women caught each other's gaze. "If the Ascended beings feel they are threatened, they will act. If we attempt to activate this device in this galaxy, Earth and possibly the whole human race will cease to exist in the blink of an eye. We are dealing with beings of pure energy with powers beyond anything we have encountered. We do not want to make enemies of them."

"We fight the Ori," Xiaoyi challenged.

"Because the Ancients themselves shield us from the worst effects of the Ori power," Siana responded.

"Do the Ori know we have this weapon?" Minister Mestral asked.

"They do," Siana said. "In fact, it is possible they will be attacking Earth again in an attempt to obtain it and use it against the Ascended here."

"Hence one of the two main reasons for this meeting," Charleston said. "Representative Xiaoyi, as the ranking member of the Defense Committee, you need to know that Dr. McKay and Dr. O'Neill have developed a shielding technology that should protect Earth from any future attacks."

"Interesting," Xiaoyi said. She kept any excitement over the news well hidden. "When would such technology be available, and how much power would be required to run it?"

"We have the power already," Rodney said. "While creating the weapon, we also managed to create four Zed-PMs. The shield is ready to go now. We estimate we can maintain the shield for three months before its power source is depleted. Once activated, the entire Earth would be shifted out of phase with this dimension. Ori weapons would not be able to touch us."

"Can this be adapted to ships?" Holon asked with a gleam in his eye.

"We believe so," Sam said. "Its power requirements are pretty high, but we think a ship-board version can be adapted. In fact, we're working on it right now with the _Odyssey_."

"This brings us then to the second reason for this meeting," Charleston said. He slowly scanned every face there. "I propose we assault the Ori supergate and attempt to deploy the weapon, and then destroy the gate itself."

Xiaoyi stared at him for the longest time. "Mr. Prime Minister, it is my understanding that the Supergate is located deep in Romulan space and is the most heavily guarded item under Ori control. It would take every resource we have just to reach it."

"That is correct," Charleston said. "I am proposing that we assemble a fleet of every ship we have, even pulling ships off other duties, and attack. We have thirty ships coming off the line in the next few weeks. With stripped down crews we have sufficient personnel to man all of them. If we are able to deploy the weapon and then destroy the gate, that would be an end to this war."

"They'll know we're coming," Admiral O'Neill said.

"I know that too. I realize that it will be risky and incredibly expensive in terms of resources and lives, but for every ally we find, the Ori pull in two more."

"Yeah, but ours are the ones with the bigger guns," Admiral O'Neill muttered.

Holon smiled with appreciation. Xiaoyi did not.

"Be that as it may," Charleston said, "looking at this conflict in the long term, I believe it has the capacity to outlast us all if we let it. So let's stop it now, while we have means."

"The Asgard and Antaran Confederacy support this course of action," Thor said. He nodded to Jial, who gave affirmation with her own nod. "We will pledge the full Asgard fleet to this endeavor."

When the Asgard jumped into a fight, it was hard for others to say no. "Of course you have my support," Lord Admiral Holon said. "I understand the situation may have stabilized in the Corusca galaxy as well. With Supreme Commander Thor's assistance, I will contact my Lord Emperor to determine if any additional resources may be provided."

"The Vulcans will of course assist in any way we can," Mestral said.

"As will the Jaffa," Teal'c said. "We have increased our fleet of ha'taks with enhanced shielding to over forty ships. We leave all to your disposal."

"And what of Earth?" Charleston said.

Admiral O'Neill cleared his throat. "We have seven space attack carriers ready, five heavy command carriers, six if we include the _Delhi_, which is in need of significant repairs, and three destroyers. Unfortunately we lost five ships between Dakara and Merlin's planet. But, as the Prime Minister pointed out, we have thirty ships ready for active duty in the next few weeks. Ten are heavy command carriers, fifteen are destroyers and the remaining five are two medical frigates, a science vessel and two tactical support ships. That will bring our fighting fleet up to forty (or forty-six) ships of the line if we dedicate all resources to this attack."

"And munitions?" Xiaoyi asked.

"The Asgard continue to assist in the production of resonance torpedoes," Thor said. "We anticipate providing a significant bevy to all ships capable of firing them."

"Specific plans for the assault will be made Top Secret and Need-to-know only," Defense Minister Maynard said. "For the protection of all involved. Although we do not believe there have been any Ori infiltrations into our government, we cannot risk specific plans being leaked."

"Likewise, this meeting is top secret," Charleston said. "If there is nothing else? Then ladies and gentlebeings, may the Force be with us all."

Siana Delun couldn't hide her smile at the expression.

* * *

_Roswell, New Mexico, Wednesday, August 27th, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:45 a.m. MT._

The old rock quarry had not changed at all since 2002, the last time Max stood there.

Behind them, he heard pebbles move and sensed the others in the Force. Liz, Michael, Isabel and Maria. The kids were with Liz's parents at the Crashdown, attracting all the attention two proud grandparents could ask for while Sheriff Valenti stayed nearby with a watchful eye.

The five of them drove their hovercar out to their old haunt and silently climbed out and stood in the silence. It was already hot. With Doomsday came subtle but compelling changes in climate. The heat was more humid than normal, and the New Mexican desert was greener than normal for August. But the heat remained.

"I wish Alex were here," Maria said. Her voice broke the perfect stillness of the moment.

"And Kyle," Isabel added sadly.

After a moment, Isabel and Max both said, "And Dad."

"There is no death," Liz said.

"Only the Force," the five intoned.

"Do you know how long we have before our forces ship out?" Michael asked after a long moment of silence.

Max shrugged. "Delvin left with Holon to the Corusca galaxy for reinforcements. Even with Thor's new ships, that's still a week or so round-trip. And they're just now getting the new ships out of the yards. I understand they've had problems with the propulsion systems on a few of them so that's ongoing. So, three weeks at the latest."

"We're going?" Liz asked.

Max shrugged. "Only rated pilots. It's going to be a fleet battle. The Admiralty hasn't really enjoyed having Jedi on their ships during space engagements. But if we can lend our skills with the new F-505s, they'll be happy."

Isabel smiled. "They're ready?"

The new advanced fighter, taking everything learned on the F-501 and distilling it into a more powerful, lethal fighter, was a favorite of all the pilot-rated Jedi, of which Isabel was one. "They're ready," Max agreed. "They'll be three squadrons deployed with the fleet."

"And the rest of us?" Liz asked.

"Here on Earth, under a multi-phasic shield. We know there will be a counter-attack. Killing the Ori won't kill their followers, but it will stop the inflow of new Priors and possibly slow or even stop ship production. The war won't end right there and then, but the first blow will be struck to turn the tide."

Liz sidled up next to Max. "I don't like the idea of you and Isabel in fighters during the battle."

"The Force will be with us," Isabel said. "Siana is going as well."

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Maria asked.

The five of them looked around the quarry. It was Michael who finally decided. "Let's go to Vegas."

* * *

_Seattle, Washington, Thursday, August 28th, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 1:20 p.m. PT._

It was a beautiful afternoon. Meredith Grey sat in Alaskan Way Memorial Park along the coast of Elliot Bay.

Although not the worst-struck city during Doomsday, like most coastal cities around the world Seattle did suffer some damage. Most damage actually came from the earthquakes resulting in the massive tectonic shift of India's death-throes. The rest came from the secondary and tertiary tsunamis that followed. The park marked the lives lost and the historic buildings destroyed on that day six years ago.

Now the only thing marking the once busy thoroughfare were markers perched in the grass showing what stood where, and the obelisk with all the names of those killed that day.

Meredith had still been in medical school in Boston when that fateful day struck. Boston and the entire Eastern Seaboard suffered extensive losses as well, although with less seismic activity. She remembered watching the tsunami waters cross past the expressway as far into the city as Washington Park.

Now she was able to look back on that day with regret but no more terror. The nightmares passed eventually, and she knew the work she was doing was good work, and that she was in a position that, should something like that ever happen again, she could help.

"Hello, Meredith."

She turned and felt her jaw go slack. Izzie Stevens stood as plain as day on the grass beside her. Meredith was on her feet that instant and had her former roommate in a tight hug. "My God, how are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

Meredith took a step back. "Izzie, you look incredible."

"A lot of exercise," she said. "You look good yourself. I stopped by the hospital and George said you were a senior resident now. Congratulations."

"Thank you. And you?"

Izzie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Still a padawan. You might say I'm the Jedi equivalent of an intern. But I discovered something. There are Jedi healers, and I'm the second one in the whole galaxy. Max Evans—the man whom you met a couple of years ago—is the first."

"That's amazing," Meredith said. "I heard there was a terrorist ring the Jedi exposed and stopped. Something about a nuclear bomb?"

"It was part of a global ring," Izzie admitted. "I had my part to play here in the U.S. But we saved the day. Max was right years ago. It is a higher calling. It really is what I was meant to be doing. And there's more."

She stepped aside, and for the first time Meredith noticed the young lady standing near the sidewalk. She was breathtaking, with bright strawberry-blonde hair and sparkling eyes that seemed to shift from green to blue depending on the light. Like Izzie, she wore black slacks and a gray folding shirt, and like Izzie she carried a cylinder on her belt. Those must have been the famous lightsabers known the world over now.

"Meredith, this is Hannah, my daughter. Hannah, this is my good friend Meredith."

Meredith felt her breath catch, but she smiled as she leaned over and took the young woman's hand in hers. "I can see the resemblance," she admitted. "You are as beautiful a girl as any I've ever seen."

"And I have a forty meter long jump in track," Hanna said with a brilliant smile.

"Just amazing," Meredith said. She beamed at the two. "So what brings you to town?"

"We're on leave," Izzie said. "And I wanted to show Hannah my life. For a few years, you were a very large part of that."

Meredith smiled again, but couldn't help catch an odd note of finality in her friend's voice. It sounded somehow as if Izzie did not expect to see any of her old life again. It made the doctor wonder just what was coming that had these two heroes so scared.

* * *

_Toronto, Canada, Friday, August 29th, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 3:40 p.m. EST._

"Rodney, are you nervous?"

Rodney McKay looked down at the beautiful angel at his side and gulped. "No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know." He looked back up. "No one's ever met the family before. My parents thought I was gay."

Tess laughed and gave him a hug around his waist. "They did not!"

The two walked down a beautiful suburban street just outside of Toronto. Massive trees larger than anything in the state of New Mexico lined the street; reaching branches overhead formed a glorious, natural roof against the afternoon sun. It was one of the most beautiful days Tess could ever remember.

"I don't think she's going to believe it." Rodney said at last. "I'm not sure I believe it."

"What, that you're a respected and essential member of the Commonwealth Research Initiative or that you single-handedly led us to the weapon that will save us from the Ori? Or that you've devised a plan to destroy the supergate in one shot?"

"Hah. Daniel did that work And my team did the shields. And my plan for the gate remains to be tested. I just ran around getting in people's way."

"You know that's not true."

Rodney nodded with a shy smile. "Yeah, I know. I'm not sure she's going to believe you and me together."

She kissed his cheek, and they continued walking until they reached an attractive home with a broad, wrap-around front porch and white columns. It did not have a fence, but it did have a row of shrubs that served the same purpose.

"So what are you going to say?" Tess asked.

"That I'm not gay, and here's proof?"

She pinched him.

"Owe. Okay, I'll say that this is my girlfriend, Tess Harding. Then I'll say that Tess is a Jedi Knight who can kill alien beasties with her laser sword and make you see things that aren't there."

"Or you can say this is my girlfriend Tess Harding, whom I've asked to be my wife."

Rodney involuntarily looked down at the sparkling ring on Tess's finger. "Yeah, that does sound better." He pulled his eyes back to hers. "Tess, are we going too fast?"

"If I were just an ordinary girl, I'd say yes. But the Force tells me you're the right one. And frankly, my life has sucked enough that I'm not going to risk letting the right one get away. So, you either marry me, or I kick your ass."

Rodney gulped, and then grinned when she pulled his head down for a fierce kiss. "I guess that means we're not going too fast?"

"It means go faster," Tess said, and virtually pulled him up the sidewalk, up the steps of the porch, and to the front door where he rang the doorbell. A few moments later an attractive woman in her thirties opened it and stared first at Rodney, then at the stunning blonde hanging protectively on his arm. "Mere? What's going…"

"Jeanie," Rodney said, "this is Tess Harding. She's a Jedi Knight. I love her very much, and I've asked her to be my wife. She said yes. We're going to be married."

Jeanie Miller looked from her brother's face to that of Tess, and then back again. "You mean you're not gay?"

* * *

_Admiral Jack O'Neill's Fishing Cabin, Colorado, Saturday, August 30th, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:40 a.m. EST._

Two men and two women sat in folding chairs on the edge of a large pond. The men were in the middle, the women on the periphery. The men appeared to be father and son, with a distinct, even eerie similarity. The two women however were completely different. One was a woman comfortably approaching fifty, with shoulder-length blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes and a confident smile as she sipped a bottle of beer. The other woman, who appeared to be in her late teens, had a longer nose, mousy brown hair and a sly smile, but housed in a body made fit and lithe by exercise and youth.

"Thought we'd agreed never to, you know, keep in touch," John O'Neill said.

Jack O'Neill shrugged and glanced at his young clone. "You get older, things like that don't matter as much." He cast his line. "Besides, I figured you two could use a break from Ruby Valley with everything coming up."

John nodded with greater sagacity than his eighteen years would warrant. "I understand. It was really great having Cassie out too."

"Yeah, thanks," Cassie said. She had no fishing line. She did have a beer which she sipped without hesitation. Everyone there knew her mother. Janet Frasier's approach to youth and alcohol was one of demystification. It was simply not a big deal.

John drank a beer because he was Jack's clone, and they both knew Jack O'Neill had been drinking beer since he was fourteen.

"You're both rated pilots," Jack noted. "Better than any of the actual military pilots we have."

John nodded. "I understand we're in for a fun time."

No one said anything for the longest time. Then Jack started talking. He didn't talk about his years as a pilot, or his black ops work. He didn't even mention the Stargate. He spoke about his son Charlie, who had shot himself shortly before O'Neill first became involved in the Stargate Program.

John felt his chest tighten as this other man's memories welled up in him, and noted how Sam reached out and took Jack's hand while Jack casually recounted memories of his lost son.

Cassie must have felt it through the Force too since she reached out and took John's hand as well. "I just don't think he ever knew how much I loved him," Jack said as he stared out over the still water of the pond. "Kid that age, I'm not sure he could ever know. You don't know just how much you can love a person until you get married and have kids of your own. But I will remember him until the day I die."

He fell silent at last, but just for a moment. He turned and looked at John, and the young Jedi was startled by the moisture in this heralded admiral's eyes. "You are my second chance, John. You are me, no matter what we like to pretend." He leaned forward until he captured the eyes of both the young Jedi. "If you love each other, _love_ each other. Stay with it, even when it's hard and you think you don't love each other. Have the kids I couldn't have, and love them for all you're worth. Make sure that they know. Make sure they know."

He sat back and cast a line. "Guess I should stock this pond with fish, huh?"

* * *

Author's Note: For the record I don't know if anyone in his family ever thought Rodney was gay. It was added for humor only with no intent to disparage anyone.

* * *


	79. Corusca

**Tombadgerlock**--Yeah, I was still on SG-1 thinking there. The introduction of the Pegasus replicators didn't enter into for me. My main thinking was Thor's comment on how advanced the Ancients were, hence my working thesis of the same.

**Snowfur**--You betchya they are. But as you cans see in this coming chapter, they aren't going alone.

**Roosterman71**--I like the down chapters as much as the action-packed ones. Oh, and thanks for that HP fic recommendation. I'll add it to my favorites.

* * *

**Chapter Seventy-Nine: Corusca**

_Coruscant, Corusca Galaxy, Friday, August 29, 6 CE (2008 A.D.)_

Delvin Ostrael and Lord Admiral Antias Holon stood side-by-side as the Asgard cruiser _Katarn_ dropped from what they liked to call supraluminal hyperspace into a main shipping lane on approach to Coruscant. The trip took three days in order to conserve power.

The Imperial Capital glistened under the reflected light of its orbital mirror assemblies. Ships of every description flew to and fro. It looked like the thriving capital planet it was.

"This is the Empire that should have been," Holon said proudly. "Not an Empire ruled by Sith, but by the scion of Jedi and Imperials together, creating a fair, just empire ruled by law and not the whim of evil old men."

"It is a great thing the Fel Dynasty has achieved," Ostrael agreed. "What do you think His Majesty will do with our request?"

"He will consider it carefully, of course," Holon said with a diplomatic smile. "So far the relationship has been one-way. But what the Commonwealth proposes does have merit, and the fact that ships from the Commonwealth Alliance can come here at will, but that we cannot go there, does mark your adopted galaxy as an equal."

"Unknown ship, this is Coruscant Control, you are approaching a controlled space lane. State your name and purpose."

Eostre, the Asgard pilot who wore clothes for the first time in millennia as she covered her newly female body, responded calmly. "Coruscant Control, this is the Asgard cruiser _Katarn_ transporting Lord Admiral Antias Holon to the Imperial Palace. Lord Admiral Holon seeks an audience with Emperor Fel."

There was silence on the other side, and then a screen appeared before them as full communication was established. A man in a colonel's uniform stood before the screen and blinked when he saw Holon. "Lord Admiral, we were not aware you were en route on such a vessel."

"Not to worry, Colonel. The Asgard ships are considerably faster than our own and we felt the situation urgent. Please contact the Emperor's office to see if an audience can be arranged."

The colonel saluted sharply. "Yes, sir."

"Three hours minimum," Ostrael predicted.

Holon smiled. "One. He likes me, and I have reason to believe he is in a good mood."

In the end it was a compromise. They only had to wait two hours before permission was granted for them to have an audience. The two of them beamed down with Eostre in tow to the Emperor's antechamber. Lord Admiral or not, Holon had no desire to test the Emperor's security detail by beaming down directly to his presence.

As it was, their appearance did cause some alarm, until Holon presented his credentials. An Imperial knight appeared, bowed, and led the three through the hall into the Imperial audience chamber.

Emperor Roan Fel did not appear to have aged in the past two years. He sat on the edge of his throne talking with two advisors and going over budget numbers with keen interest. He noted the three approaching figures, but said nothing until Holon came to five meters away, where he knelt to one knee. Ostrael did the same.

Fel finished and nodded dismissal to his advisors. "Lord Admiral, what an unexpected surprise. And Knight Ostrael. A pleasure as always." He looked at Eostre. "And you are Asgard? You seem different than my last Asgard encounter."

"I am Eostre," the Asgard said. "My appearance has changed from when I was last in this galaxy, where I had the honor of treating Luke Skywalker and working with his sister, your ancestor, Leia Skywalker Solo."

Fel nodded, his face impassive. "Well met, Eostre of the Asgard. Lord Admiral, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"A mixed bag, Majesty," Holon said. "It is first with great sadness that I must report the loss of the HMS _Bastion_ with all hands. The ship was destroyed in a joint Ori strike against a Commonwealth task force to which I assigned it. The _Jaina_ and _Corusca_ have also suffered extensive damage, but the Commonwealth is assisting and paying for all repairs."

Fel nodded. "It is not an easy thing to lose a star destroyer. How goes the war?"

"Majesty, there is a possibility it may be approaching its end. Using technology from the same race that built the Centerpoint Station of legend, our allies have created a weapon that could possibly destroy the Ori themselves."

The Emperor nodded sagely to hide his surprise. "I was under the impression the Ori were Ascended beings."

"The weapon was designed by a previously Ascended being to destroy such creatures," Eostre added. "The Asgard have studied the weapon and believe that it would be effective. If deployed in the Ori galaxy, it would destroy the Ori there."

"I sense a condition to this weapon," Fel said.

"The Ori know we have it," Ostrael said. "They are actively seeking it to use it against the more beneficial Ascended beings of our galaxy. They will not easily let it pass through the stargate into their realm, nor will they allow any excursions through hyperspace. The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth has proposed a massive assault on the Ori Supergate with the intent of forcibly deploying the weapon. Even if this does not destroy all Ori forces, it will greatly weaken them through the loss of new Priors."

"You want more ships," Fel said.

"They want more ships," Holon confirmed. "They have committed the entirety of their fleet, as have all of their allies."

"I do not want to appear mercenary regarding the Commonwealth's battles, but if I give more ships, what would the Empire get from it?"

Eostre took a step forward. "I have been authorized as a representative of the Commonwealth Alliance to offer a mutual galactic defense treaty with the Empire. The terms of the treaty would strictly adhere to non-interference with local affairs, except in the extent of extra-galactic invasion. For example, should a threat such as the Yuuzhan Vong ever appear again, the treaty would authorize you to demand assistance from the Commonwealth Alliance, and the Alliance would be compelled to provide such assistance."

"An interesting proposal," Fel said. "And should I decline such a treaty?"

"You have provided us great assistance during this conflict," Eostre said. "Regardless of your approval of this treaty, the Commonwealth will continue to consider Your Majesty a friend and ally. The Treaty would simply serve to codify that friendship in law."

Fel smiled. "Well said, Friend Eostre." He touched a pad on his throne's arm. "Have Lord Skywalker report to the audience chamber."

"Lord Skywalker?" Ostrael whispered.

Holon winked. "As I said, he's in a good mood."

A moment later Cade Skywalker stepped into the chamber. He wore the raiment of a Jedi knight, but with something entirely new. A thin gold circlet held down the untamed curls of his blond hair. The Jedi regarded the visitors neutrally, nodding to Ostrael and Holon. "Majesty," he said.

"How go the wedding preparations?" Fel asked.

"I have developed an effective strategy, Majesty."

"And what is that, Lord Skywalker?"

"I'm staying out of the way and letting Marasiah handle everything."

Fel laughed freely. "An excellent strategy, Cade. I did the same when my time came to wed Marasiah's mother."

Ostrael stared mouth agape. "You are marrying the Princess?"

Cade looked at the former Imperial Knight and managed a weak grin. "It is rather hard to believe, isn't it?"

"It is more than a union, it is in itself a powerful treaty," Fel said. "In return for the help the Jedi provided in finally defeating the Sith, they have been granted all the privileges previously removed from them, and have rebuilt their Praxaem on Ossus. The Jedi Order has returned, and in return I finally have someone to assume the throne with my Marasiah upon my death. Our royal cousin, Prince Consort Cade Skywalker."

"Congratulations," Ostrael managed to say. He still could not wrap his mind around such a strange occurrence as a Skywalker marrying a Fel. But then he remembered where the Fel children came from. Was it so different than a Solo marrying a Fel?

Roan Fel stepped casually from his throne. "All of you, let us walk." They left the audience chamber and made their way into the garden. "The reason I asked you to come, Cade, is that our friends in the Commonwealth Galaxy believe they may have a means of destroying the Ori, and they've asked for more ships."

"That is good news," Cade said. "I grew up listening to stories of how my great-grandfather suffered under their power."

"I wanted to offer you an opportunity to escape the wedding plans, and lead the sector fleet I intend to send," Roan said.

Ostrael felt his heart flutter. An entire sector fleet?

Cade turned a side-long look at his future father-in-law. "One last chance to escape my fate?"

Fel put a friendly hand on the young Jedi's shoulders. "My friend, there is no escaping your fate. My daughter loves you, and she generally gets what she wants. However, if you are to one day help her lead this Empire, I need to know you are able to lead my men. Think of it as a training exercise. A test, even. The only requirement is that you come back safely. And truthfully, with the close of the Sith war last year and a successful peace treaty with the Galactic Alliance, the military machine is growing bored. What better way to employ existing resources than helping destroy an enemy that could one day return to our own galaxy?"

"What will Marasiah say?"

"Probably a great deal," Fel said. "Which is why you are not to tell her anything until you are at least a galaxy away." He turned to Eostre. "Now, friend Asgard, let us take a look at that treaty of yours."

* * *

_Romulus, August 30, 6 CE (2008 A.D.)_

"You want me to talk to her?" Vala Mal Doran asked incredulously.

The one-eyed prior nodded as he and two others stood before her in the spacious apartment she lived in. "The Orici's distraction does not please the Ori. She has failed to perform her duties. She has let her human side cloud her judgment." He said the word "human" as if just the sound burned his lips.

"And so you come to her human mother."

"Yes," the Prior said.

"Well," Vala said, "at least it's something to do."

"The Ori are pleased you will assist," the Prior said.

"Oh, goody!" Vala exclaimed. "Now let's go see that little girl of mine."

Over the past two years the mother of the Orici was granted a virtual palace to live in. It was as beautiful as anything on Romulus could be, with fountains and ponds and anything she could want. In essence, it was Vala's dream. Unbelievable, disgusting wealth on a scale only the Goa'uld could have had.

Vala was so bored some days she felt like crying.

If her palace was large, the Sanctum of the Ori where the Orici lived was stupendous. The towers reached so high they had to be pressurized. It was to the tallest of these towers that Vala went. She noticed the hazed, scared expressions on the palace serving staff. She noticed the odd absence of the Remans. The only ones there were Priors and Ori-loyal human soldiers.

None accosted her as she made her way to the chamber of the Orici.

Vala pushed the door open and strode in like any mother would. She stopped five steps in and for a moment thought she was going to die.

Adria rose from the center of her spacious floor clad only in an open robe. Her hair hung in wild strands around her head, and as she rose to her feet her eyes caught fire and the air around her shimmered. "No one is to disturb me!"

Vala took a deep breath. "By the gods, what did he do to you, Adria?"

Instantly the fire died. The messiah was gone; only Adria remained. "Mother?" she whispered. Her voice was rough, as if she had been screaming for hours.

Vala walked slowly across the floor until she stood before Adria. Gently, she took the other woman into her arms and held her. After a moment, she felt her daughter move in convulsive sobs. The two sank to the floor as Adria cried on her mother's shoulder.

Finally the storm passed. "I hate this," she whispered as she summoned a cloth with her power and wiped her nose. "These emotions you gave me. They are destroying me."

"My poor girl," Vala whispered. She pulled Adria's hair back from her swollen red eyes. "The Ori gave you infinite power, but the one thing you need they did not know how to give you."

"What?"

"The ability to live with pain," Vala said. "The Ori don't know what it is like for us mere mortals. We suffer pain like this every day. I know what you're feeling, Adria. I lost the love of my life as well when I was a young woman. He was killed by the same Goa'uld who eventually took me and made me a slave. I lived through years of hell as a Goa'uld host. I know pain."

"And I've made sure the last of the Goa'uld were wiped out because of that," Adria said. "Even those who called themselves Tok'Ra, all the symbiotes were wiped out."

"That doesn't remove the memories, Daughter." Vala placed her palm against Adria's cheeks. "Living with those memories will be the hardest of all. For one brief moment, Daniel showed you happiness. The reason it hurts so much is because that happiness is gone. I know you think it's betrayal or treason. But it's not. It's because your happiness is gone."

Adria set her chin. "Happiness is a weak human emotion. I don't need it."

"No, daughter, I suppose you don't. You are strong, I know. But needing it and wanting it are two different things. You might not need it, but now that you've tasted it your wanting for it aches. I know that too." She pulled Adria into a hug.

"Your masters grow concerned," Vala said softly. "They expect you to do your duty."

Adria wiped her eyes a last time and leaned back. "And so I will. Thank you, Mother. When the Priors wanted me to kill you, I told them you were precious to me. And this proves why. Thank you."

She stood and closed her robe. "I need to prepare. These humans have stood in the way of the Path of Origin long enough. It is time to end them once and for all." Adria stalked away toward her bath.

Vala remained on the floor, toying with the silken sleeves of her blouse.


	80. First Strike

**FraserMage**--We will get to see. He will be suitably impressed.

**Snowfur**--She did indeed. She is definitely not a woman to get upset at you.

**Azral**--I truly wish the story allowed me to spend more time on her and Vala. I really enjoyed writing that last chapter. But alas, the story must go on. And on, and on, all 240,000+ words of it.

**Northern-Megas**--I borrowed a classically Greek dramatic concept and had that little piece of action take place off-stage. Even SG-1 had a hard time initially distinguishing between the Tok'Ra and the Goa'uld, so why should Adria even try. She hates them all. I can say there ar no Mandos in the story, though it's not a bad idea. I agrea about the walkers, too. A device made for the movie screen more than for tactical advantage.

Thanks for reading adn the reviews!

* * *

**Chapter Eighty: First Strike**

_Admiral Jack O'Neill's Fishing Cabin, Colorado, Wednesday, September 3, 6 CE (2008, A.D.), 2:23 AM MT_

Somewhere in the dark, something started playing the song "Shake Your Groove Thing" at high volume. Instantly, Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill sat up in bed. "What is it?" Sam asked tiredly as she also propped herself up.

"That's my CDF Alert ring tone," he muttered. "Lights on!"

The cabin computer obediently turned the lights on as Jack began searching for his cell. The disco hit never seemed so ominous as it did then, taunting him with its invitation to dance as he searched. Finally, he found the phone. "O'Neill," he said.

He backed up and sat down on the edge of the bed as he listened. Sam got out of bed and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower. She sensed that the time for sleep was over. When she emerged five minutes later after a military-time shower, Jack was already getting dressed.

"What's happening?"

"The Asgard sensor net detected a mass hyperspace window in the Romulan sector. Looks like a very large fleet has jumped, and it looks like they're heading our way. Hit your emergency beacon—they're waiting for you at Fleet Command in Thies. I think it's like ten in the morning there. We're coordinating the shielding from there."

Sam grabbed her cell and activated the beacon even as she finished getting dressed. "Will we have time to get everything away?"

"We're going to have to," Jack said.

Sam disappeared a moment later in a flash of white. A second after that, John O'Neill wandered in. "I felt something. Is it happening?"

"They're attacking us first," Jack confirmed. "You and Cassie get your beacons activated. You and the other Jedi pilots are going to be working off the _Commonwealth_."

John nodded, then stepped forward and grabbed the admiral in a hug before he could say anything. "No regrets," the younger O'Neill said sheepishly. "Thank you for having us. Good luck."

"You too," Jack said. A moment later, the admiral disappeared in the flash of an Asgard beam. Cassie came in behind John, clad in only her underwear. "What's going on?"

"It's started," John said. He turned around and kissed her urgently. "We need to get dressed and activate our beacons."

In homes across the world, personnel received calls and disappeared in flashes of white light, often to the shock of their families. Max and Liz managed one last kiss and hug before he disappeared, while Michael and Maria found a moment to do a little more, before Michael too disappeared.

In the Lunar shipyards, Dr. Jackson Roykirk woke up with a start when his Vulcan and Corellian lead engineers rushed into his quarters.

"CDF has issued a general alert!" the Vulcan, T'Pria, said. "Admiral O'Neill has ordered all space-worthy ships to break orbit and make best speed to the Beta Site. All other personnel are to evacuate to Earth."

Jackson jumped out of his cot and ran for his cramped bathroom. "Are crews coming in?" he asked as he quickly splashed cold water on his face.

"Earth Central is beaming in personnel directly to their ships in dock. Ships in orbit are using their own beams to recall personnel. They're all running full capacity. The captains are already there."

"Beam any remaining munitions and supplies to the ships and break their moorings," Roykirk ordered. "As soon as that's done, let's begin getting people out of here. Any word on the Jovian yards?"

"They've already begun evacuations," T'Pria said. "Those ship yards are space worthy in themselves. As soon as all ships are away they will fold the station up and make best speed toward Beta Site."

* * *

_Commonwealth, France, Wednesday, September 3, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 10:24 AM GMT_

Prime Minister Charleston was in a meeting with Deputy Minister Franklin and both the Upper and Lower house finance committees when Defense Minister Maynard stepped in unannounced.

The committee members looked outraged at the interruption, but Charleston knew it could only mean one thing. "Mr. Prime Minister," Maynard said, "Asgard telemetry indicates the Ori have launched a massive assault on Earth. They are going to be here in a matter of hours."

The parliamentarians gasped and reacted as one would expect of lifetime politicians. Charleston merely nodded. "Thank you, Minister. Beatrice, contact all executive department heads to initiate Civil Defense protocols. Ladies and Gentlemen, as part of this protocol all elected officials are going to be beamed to the Stargate in Colorado so that you can be transported to a secure facility on a safe world. This is part of the Continuation of Government plan. Please do not be alarmed. You are the government of this world, and you need to be calm."

"And what about you, Prime Minister?" the representative of Brazil asked.

"The people need me here," Charleston said with steely determination. "I didn't spend the past six years forging this government to abandon it now. You all have to go. I have to stay. Thank you, and good luck to us all."

* * *

_UECS_ Odyssey _SCA-02, Earth Orbit, 11:42 AM GMT_

Rodney stumbled a bit before Tess caught him as the light of the Asgard beam faded. "What's happening?" he said. "I got a call to activate my beacon, but they won't tell me what's happening."

The ensign assigned to beaming duty just shrugged. "The Admiral asked you to report to the bridge."

"Come on, Rodney," Tess said. She led the beleaguered scientist through the halls of one of the older of the UEC command carriers until they reached the bridge. Rodney gasped when he saw none other than Admiral Jack O'Neill himself. Next to O'Neill stood Siana Delun, Dana Scully and Daniel Jackson.

On a command station between them rested the Sangraal weapon, though the Sangraal itself still hung around Daniel's neck. "Rodney, glad you could make it," O'Neill said dryly. "Are those fancy shields of yours ready?"

"I don't know, I was on my honeymoon," Rodney said waspishly. He strode across the bridge to the science station he had been working on. "Looks like everything is connected. We'll only have about five minutes of shielding at a time though, because of the power requirements. These first generation ships just don't have the generating capability the heavy command carriers do. I could use a Zed-PM but…"

"Those are for Earth," Jack said abruptly. He flicked a switch on the command chair. "Han, this is O'Neill. Status?"

The screen blinked and Admiral Han Shintre's haggard face appeared. "We're at seventy percent deployment. Several of the ships are experiencing problems with their propulsion systems. We may have to tow them. Roykirk has already begun to evacuate civilian personnel, and the defense satellites have also been evacuated."

O'Neill nodded and flipped a switch, and the screen split between Shintre and Defense Minister Maynard. "Francis, this is O'Neill. We're having a slow time getting all the new ships out. We may have to tow them. Thor said the Ori ships should be in-system inside the hour. How is Sam coming with the shields?"

"She said they are ready to go," Maynard said. "Admiral, I wish you and the fleet the best of luck."

"Yeah, me too. Thank you, Sir. Good luck to you as well. If the shields do break down, get Liz Evans in the chair at Antarctica. At least we'll have some defense with the drones we have left."

There were few Ancient drones left following Kyle Katarn's defense on Doomsday, and both men knew it.

"That's it, then," O'Neill said. "You'll have about two minutes warning from our Mars sensor net before they get here."

"We can have the shield up in forty-five seconds," Maynard said.

"Then I'll leave you to it. It has been a pleasure, Francis."

"It has indeed, Jack."

The minister faded out. Shintre, meanwhile, had disappeared from his screen a moment before he reappeared. "The Jovian yards report one hundred percent deployment. The yards are converting for hyperspace as we speak. Lunar yards are now at ninety percent deployment. Evidently they got the message to move faster. The last two ships are both medical frigates."

"Leave 'em," O'Neill said. "Bring their medical staff and supplies on board the capital ships and then leave 'em. We can't wait any longer or the Ori will be able to track us."

"Understood," Shintre said.

"God I hope we know what we're doing," Rodney said.

O'Neill turned and stared. "It's your damned shield. I hope you know what you're doing!"

Rodney sputtered and turned back to his station. O'Neill turned to Tess and winked. "Gotta do that to him once in a while," he said in a conspiratorial whisper. "Sam tells me he thrives on abuse."

"I do not!" Rodney said, then turned around and started working again.

O'Neill settled back into his seat. "Send subspace to all allies that the Ori have made the first strike. Fleet to rendezvous at coordinates Beta-Tango. Then patch me through to the fleet."

The communications officer nodded.

"This is O'Neill. This is it, boys and girls. All ships break orbit and make best speed to rendezvous coordinates. After this, maintain absolute radio silence until we reach the rendezvous point. Effective immediately the fleet is in Combat Alert Mode. See you on the other side. O'Neill out." He took a deep breath. "Helm, break orbit. Let's go."

To the people of Earth, it looked as if the skies began to bloom with flowers. Those on the night side saw beautiful clouds of blue Cronau radiation, while those on the daylight side merely saw flashes of white light.

Every channel of every TV turned bright blue and shrieked out an alert, and a moment later showed Prime Minister Charleston standing in front of the Commonwealth flag. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Earth, a momentous occasion is upon us. We are facing both the greatest day of opportunity since the war against the Ori began, and our greatest day of peril."

Samantha O'Neill listened with half a mind to the Prime Minister's address as she supervised the shield installation. Roykirk was already there, along with Rodney's staff and most of the rest of the best scientists Earth had to offer. The shield generator itself was about the size of a house, built in large part by the Asgard themselves, since the UEC didn't have the ability to manufacture such a device in just days.

Three of the ZPMs Daniel created were hooked into it, with a fourth as a reserve. The sheer physics involved in generating a field to cover the whole planet was just on the edge of Sam's considerable scientific abilities. It took the help of Heimdall of the Asgard and his computer to finish the calculations to ensure that the planet's own gravitons pulled the shield into the appropriate configuration.

The whole room suddenly turned red. "They're within two minutes of approach," Sam said. "Activate the shields."

Roykirk threw the switch. Nothing happened.

"Conduit failure!" a tech screamed. "The power's not getting to the device. It looks like the number three conduit."

"Damn," Sam muttered. "Start the clock. One minute fifty seconds. Pull that conduit now!"

In Commonwealth, Beatrice and Maynard shared a long look while the Prime Minister continued his address.

"Shouldn't the shield have activated by now?" she asked softly.

Maynard nodded. "I'm getting a status report from Dr. O'Neill. They've hit an unexpected problem and are working on it."

"If it were anyone else," Beatrice whispered.

"Sam has saved the world more than once," Maynard said. "I'm not going to start doubting her now."

In Thies, the clock read one minute ten seconds. It would take forty-five seconds to initiate the field. She looked over the other side of the device as twenty men and women worked desperately to install the new power conduits. The moment they finished screwing in the last bolt, one yelled, "Done! Hit the switch!"

Sam turned and nodded for Roykirk to hit the switch. The device began to hum with power as it initiated itself. Sam looked at the clock. Thirty-nine seconds. "Please!" she whispered.

Thirty-eight seconds later, the space around Earth erupted in blue clouds of radiation as hundreds upon hundreds of ships emerged. One hundred at least were Ori cruisers, pulled from every Ori stronghold in the galaxy; the rest were Romulan, Aschen, Husnock or other of the allied races of the Ori. The weaker ships immediately spun away and began firing on the abandoned shipyards of the moon.

The Ori ships, however, stayed on course for Earth.

In the lead ship, the Orici stood proud as she looked down at the pathetic planet that had dared to challenge her. "Fire," she said.

Her ship fired the first shot, which streamed down in a white beam toward the greatest population cluster of North America. The beam razed through the secondary planetary shields over the city and struck central New York with the force of a ten megaton nuclear bomb. She watched with satisfaction as the mushroom cloud bloomed over the eastern seaboard of the continent.

"All ships, fire at will on population centers. Start with Commonwealth itself," she said. Having killed the most people with her first shot, she now turned her attention to chopping the head off the Commonwealth snake.

A hundred white beams erupted and seared through space. She lifted her chin, relishing the moment. This, she told herself, was the way to erase the memory of Daniel Jackson from her mind: by erasing his planet from this universe. This was, she knew, what she should have done from the very first sign of resistance.

Suddenly, inexplicably, the whole Earth disappeared. The beams passed through empty space, touching nothing.

"What is this?" Adria demanded. She spun around and the one-eyed Prior stepped back. She reached a hand and he flew through the air until she had his throat in her hands. "What is this? What just happened?"

"I do not know, Orici," the Prior gasped.

"Arrgh!" She slammed his head against a wall and turned away in disgust as it shattered. A moment later the cleansing fire took the mess away. She spun to the rest of the shocked bridge crew. "I want to know what happened! It wasn't just destroyed. I can't sense it at all, but it has to be there. Find it!"

She spun back around to her screen and the empty, twinkling stars before her.


	81. Mustering Forces

**FraserMage**--Did you like it? I thought it was such a cool idea surely they think of it again. And the final battle is definitely coming!

**Roosterman71**--DIdn't have time. And there was a tactical risk. It was safe to assume Adria had someone watching Earth, and if it just disappeared one day she'd know something was up.

**Snowfur**--Exactly!

**Korraganitar the Nightshado**--Sadly, it was all too easy. But hey, I obliterated the entire Indian subcontinent, so America actually had it pretty easy.

**Northern-megas**--Adria has issues, and this chapter doesn't help her feel any better. As for Sam--it's going to haunt her for the rest of her life. And no worries about giving it up--it's done, it's just a matter of posting it.

**Azral**--Then for your sake, I will admit the one-eyed Prior does indeed die.

**Flaming Man of Iron**--I'm glad you're enjoying it. As you command, here is more!

* * *

**Chapter Eighty-One: Mustering Forces**

_UECS _Odyssey _SCA-02, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 1: 23 p.m. GMT_

"So, how ready are we?" O'Neill asked.

Around the table, the senior officers of the Commonwealth fleet exchanged glances. "All the heavy cruisers are at ninety percent capacity or better," Admiral Shintre said. "Unfortunately we can't say the same for the new destroyers. Five of them only have sixty percent shields and of those, two don't have the use of their primary weapons at all. I've spoken with their captains who say the weapons systems were simply not completed in time. They do have functioning turbolaser point defense systems, but no primary weapons. I've assigned those ships as fighter escorts in the meantime."

O'Neill nodded. "The Asgard say that the Empire has volunteered additional ships. A good chunk of the Asgard fleet is involved in ferrying those ships over. The four Star Destroyers we have with us report all systems ready. Teal'c just commed a few minutes ago and said the Jaffa fleet was en route. The Antarans should be here in the next few minutes."

"Are we going to do any coordination exercises before we strike?" Commodore Kaminin asked.

"If I had my way we'd be in Romulan space right now," O'Neill said, "hitting them while their ships are away. But I'm not going to risk all your lives in case it's a trap. We'll coordinate our plans en route. The moment we get everyone here, we're going in and we're going in hot."

"Admiral O'Neill to the bridge," the ship's intercom piped.

"All right, return to your ships and be ready to move," O'Neill summed up. They left the conference room and stepped through the doors onto the bridge. "Report."

"We have company," Siana Delun said. "Good company."

O'Neill continued across the bridge, watching the view screen as he did. Directly in front of the Commonwealth fleet, ships dropped out of hyperspace in pairs, one Asgard ship with one obviously Imperial ship. And they kept coming. "Wow," Jack said.

"Six _Pellaeon_-class star destroyers," Siana counted. "And eighteen Imperial Frigates. With the ships we have…." She turned to Jack. "That's a sector fleet."

The screen blinked, and was replaced by a handsome yet slightly unkempt face of a young man with wildly curly blond hair. "This is Lord Cade Skywalker. On behalf of his Imperial Majesty, I'm pleased to add this small part of our fleet to aid you in your endeavors." Cade's slight grin proved to all that he knew very well the "small" part of the fleet had enough fire power to wipe out all of Earth's ships.

"Cade, is that really you?" Siana asked.

He blinked, and his grin turned to a genuine smile. "Blue! You're looking well. I was very sorry to hear about Master Katarn."

"Thank you," Siana said. "Is Delvin with you?"

"He's on his way over to you in a shuttle now. Admiral O'Neill, I presume?"

"That's me," Jack said. "You're a Jedi, right? I didn't think Jedi were with the Empire."

"It's a long and faintly embarrassing story," Cade said with a shrug. "I'll tell you another time. In the meantime, we need to get our computers synced and our friend-or-foe systems updated."

"I'll have our tactical people start sending transponder signals to you," Jack said. "It is a pleasure to have you aboard. Is Antias there?"

"He is," Cade said. "I'm nominally in charge, but I know better than to get between an admiral of his caliber and the technical aspects of the battle."

"Smart man," Jack said. "Now all we need are the Antarans and the Jaffa, and off we go."

The screen split and Thor's face appeared beside Cade's. "O'Neill, before the cloak was engaged on Earth, I'm afraid our sensors detected at least one megaton-level explosion. At least one shot got through."

Jack closed his eyes a moment. "Thanks for letting us know."

"The Orici's fleet remained for perhaps another half hour and then broke orbit. They left one Ori cruiser in orbit; the rest of the fleet appears to have returned to Romulan space. They have amassed a considerable number of ships."

"Do we have a count?"

"Approximately one hundred Ori cruisers," Thor said. "Romulan, Aschen and Husnock ships put the total count at over four hundred."

"All things considered," Siana said, "that's a surprisingly manageable number."

"All things considered," O'Neill said. "Seems like with the Ori, though, we can't consider all things."

"Admiral," the communications officer said, "incoming ships. It is the Antaran fleet. And Minister Teal'c just commed and should be arriving momentarily."

"Tell the fleet to begin preparations for the jump," Jack said. "We go in at normal hyperspace velocity to ensure all ships remain together. It'll take us about a couple of hours, but it will also give us time to coordinate our assault."

* * *

_UECS_ Commonwealth _HSC-103, Hyperspace en route to Romulus, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 1: 52 p.m. GMT_

The F-505 _Eagle_ Tactical Exospheric Assault Fighter was the most advanced piece of machinery ever conceived by Earth. Even the Imperial engineers admired how Jackson Roykirk, Shannon Janeway and the rest of the Commonwealth engineers had taken the best elements of Asgard, Imperial, and Goa'uld technology and fashioned a wholly new and unique machine.

The mono-carbon filament frame housed a naquedah-enhanced ion powerplant that could produce sufficient thrust to move a freighter, with state-of-the-art inertial dampening systems modeled after the Imperial _Predator_-class TIE fighters. However, rather than laser cannons, the ship sported a pair of turbolaser cannons mounted under the sloping canopy. In combination with the black, forward-swept wings, it gave the fighter the appearance of a nightmarish bat swooping down on its prey.

Augmenting the armaments was an Asgard-designed shielding system and sensors, and an array of missile and torpedo deployment chutes. It was, by common assent, a frightfully impressive fighter.

The first ten rolling off assembly were housed in the port docking nacelle of the UECS _Commonwealth_. Their pilots slowly walked around each fighter, going over a long checklist of items with their flight crews.

This was JD Squadron, the first Terran squadron of fighters flown entirely by Jedi. Although the Jedi eschewed military ranks, for the purpose of the attack all pilots were given the nominal rank of captain or above, with Max Evans commissioned as colonel and designated as flight leader. John Sheppard, being a former major, was re-commissioned as a lieutenant colonel.

It was an odd assortment for pilots. Although Padawan Jennifer Hailey looked young, before entering the Jedi Order she had been an Air Force officer and as such was already a rated pilot. Daria Voronkova was likewise a former Russian air force pilot and was equally skilled. Sydney Bristow had piloting experience with the Commonwealth Bureau of Internal Security, and of course John O'Neill carried the memories of a former Air Force colonel with a long list of pilot ratings.

However, Isabel Evans and her sister clone Isobel Stevens had never flown, and neither had Michael Guerin or even Max himself. And their youngest member, Cassandra Fraiser, was only eighteen. It was Siana Delun, their Jedi Master, who insisted as many of the Jedi learn to fly as possible.

At first skeptical, Fleet Admiral O'Neill allowed them to be trained, and was quickly convinced of the effectiveness of having Force-sensitive pilots. Every one of them save Cassandra and Isobel had even flown fighters in combat during the course of the year.

This was, however, the first time they would be flying the F-505s in combat as a single unit.

"The Aschen have not deployed fighters against us," Max told them all when they completed their checklists, "however, both the Ori and Romulans have. The Husnock do not appear to employ fighters at all. Our role will be space superiority. We're going to be hunting anything in our way. However, I want us to stay together as a unit.

Once the main fleet has engaged, the al'kesh will continue to deliver their payloads of resonance torpedoes while the Empire will launch its assault shuttles. We and all the other fighters will be on search-and-destroy missions."

"How many fighters are we deploying?" Sheppard asked.

"Lots," Max said. "I haven't even been given final numbers. I know from the UEC we're going to be launching twenty squadrons of twelve fighters each. The Jaffa have pledged fifty al'kesh and another hundred death gliders. But that's nothing. From what I understand, the Imperial Sector fleet joining us has thousands of fighters and assault shuttles for the job. The Ori and their allies may have us outnumbered with big guns, but we're going to have their fighters sorely outnumbered. Each squadron will be given a specific target or assignment, but those assignments are almost certainly going to change. We'll just have to be ready."

Even Jedi had a hard time wrapping their heads around the numbers Max was sending at them. "I hope we have some tactical ships in place," Michael muttered. "Shintre isn't going to know what's going on without them."

"The Asgard have already placed a cloaked ship to act as a tactical coordinator," Max said. "We're as good as we're going to be."

The hangar bay lights flashed red twice. "Real-space reversion in forty minutes," the intercom announced.

"Okay, you have a few minutes to make last minute arrangements. Eat if you want, make sure you go to the bathroom. We all know how those flight reclamation suits work. And then be here in twenty minutes for final check and boarding."

The Jedi nodded and broke up, mingling with the pilots of the other squadron stationed on the _Commonwealth_.

On the bridge of the _Commonwealth_, Admiral Shintre was going over final ship numbers when he received a message from O'Neill and Lord Admiral Antias. The screen lit up with both men's faces. "Han," O'Neill began. "Have you got the final order of battle?"

"Yes, Admiral," Shintre said. "Our capital ships will be greatly outnumbered."

"Yeah, but we're the good guys, so we'll win," Jack said with a straight face. "Once we revert to real-space, the _Odyssey_ will be on complete radio silence. The Commonwealth Fleet is yours. I trust you, Thor and Antias to coordinate tactics in whatever fashion you need."

"We will do our part," Antias said.

"Admiral," Shintre said, "before you go, there is something I wish to say. On behalf of all of the former _Dragon's Claw_ crew, I thank you for the trust you have shown in all of us, and in me personally."

Jack nodded. "You've earned it, Han. A hundred times over. It would have been easy to label everyone from the Empire as evil after Doomsday. You showed us otherwise, and because of that we have one of our most powerful allies by our sides today. Take care of my ships, Han. And take care of yourself."

"And you, Admiral."

The communication ended.

"Reversion to real space in thirty minutes," Communications announced. The battle was about to begin.

* * *

_Romulus City, Romulus, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 2:00 p.m.GMT_

"You are the mother of the Orici," the Romulan woman said nervously. She flicked a glance across the room of the restaurant at two of the Tal Shiar officers acting as guards of the Ori faith.

Vala's hood hung uncomfortably over her face. She wasn't able to find make-up for her ears, but she had enough green-toned blush to give her complexion a Romulan appearance. With her long hair, she kept her ears carefully hidden. She very slowly pushed a bag across the table. "That's enough for a new ship," she said. "And I'll give you more. But we go now."

The smuggler stared hungrily at the platinum coins. "This would mean my death," she whispered.

"Or your fortune," Vala said.

"There are rumors of a battle coming," the pilot said. "Rumors say the Tau'ri have gathered allies and come to destroy Romulus itself. Is that why you flee?"

"No," Vala said. "I don't care about whether I live or die. I just need to live or die away from here."

The captain glanced back at the two Tal Shiar officers, who were interestedly speaking to a young Romulan male who appeared to have not shown sufficient deference to the Book of Origin located at the entrance of the restaurant.

"This isn't the Romulus I was born to," the pilot said. "I often think maybe I should be on the other side as well." She grinned wryly. "But I'm too afraid to fight. Running, however, I think I have the courage for. Let's go."

Vala nodded, and the two quietly left the restaurant.

* * *

_Median Orbit between Remus and Romulus, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 2:32 p.m.GMT_

Never in the history of the Romulan Star Empire had so many ships gathered in a single location. A full hundred of the massive Ori battle ships sat in a geo-stationary orbit in front of the glowing supergate located in a median orbit between the two primary Romulan worlds.

Arrayed before the Ori ships were a fleet of craft unparalleled in their respective races' histories.

The human Aschen and reptilian Husnock fleets numbered a hundred ships each and formed a hemisphere along the northern plane of the ecliptic, while the vast fleet of the Romulans themselves, numbering almost three hundred, formed a hemisphere around the southern plane of the solar ecliptic. It was a perfect formation to defend against attack from any angle.

In the ship nearest the gate, the Orici herself stood in the command deck of her cruiser, watching the stars glimmer while she pensively tapped a finger against her lips. She reached internally for the bright, shimmering connection with her masters, and the Ori responded with power, confidence, and stern judgment.

Her weakness for the Jedi was disappointing to them, she knew. Her failure to destroy the heart of the evil was even more vexing. This, they told her, was her last hope for redemption. If she failed here, they would ensure another, stronger Orici was born to replace her.

"I hear and obey, Masters," she whispered to herself.

A soldier entered the command deck and fell to his knee behind her, his head bowed while he waited patiently for her to notice him. Finally, she turned and faced him. "Speak, Tomin."

The man named Tomin kept his head bowed, even though as husband to her mother and the man who cared for her during her inception, he was the closest thing to a mortal father she had. "I have received communication from Romulus," he said. His voice wavered on the edge of cracking. "The Holy Mother has left us."

"Vala is gone?" Adria whispered between grinding teeth.

"She has fled with a merchant captain," Tomin said. "The Prior in her Palace noted her absence and began a search. We identified the ship but only after it left Romulan space and went to warp."

The pain that welled up inside burned as surely as the cleansing fire of the Ori themselves. She closed her eyes and reached for her masters. _Give me strength!_ She begged them.

"We will find my mother in time," she whispered. "She will be returned to your side, Husband of the Holy Mother. And all shall be made whole."

He looked up and for the first time she saw the red rims to his eyes, and sensed from him his pain. "Blessed are the Ori," he said.

"Blessed are the Ori," she intoned. Then, kneeling down, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be strong. The Ori are with us. After we crush these primitives, all will be made right according to the Path of Origin. Let not your despair lead you astray."

Tomin nodded. "Thank you, Orici."

She felt a wavering in the space around her. She stood and turned. "Launch all fighters," she said, as the space before them exploded under the onslaught of unimaginable energies. The Alliance fleet had arrived.


	82. The Battle of Romulus, Part 1

**Azral**--I really appreciate that. I have put a lot more work into this than any other story, for it's length if nothing else. I'm glad you've enjoyed it!

**Northern-Megas**--Like everything involving SG-1, there's going to be more to the battle. And we actually do get to see how the different cultures view the Jedi in the final chapter. However, warp vs. hyperspace is handsdown in favor of hyperspace.

**Roosterman71**--Things are not only starting to happen fast, they're about to explode.

This chapter is a perfect example. No more character development. This is all out war.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Eighty-Two: The Battle of Romulus – Part 1**

_Median Orbit Between Remus and Romulus, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 2:32 p.m. GMT_

Across the line of the Ori defensive sphere, captains both Aschen and Romulan stared agape at the monsters that appeared before them: ten ships almost ten kilometers in length apiece, wedge-shaped and bristling with armaments. A fleet of ships with similar shapes but much smaller in size appeared between the behemoths.

Then came the rest of the Commonwealth ships. Pyramid-shaped augmented Ha'taks reverted along the edges of the combined fleet, thirty in all. In the midst of the Imperial ships arrived the Commonwealth fleet, 41 ships strong.

Adria felt the tension running through the fleet, and with a mere thought broadcast her words through every loyal ship there. "They look impressive, do they not?" she said. "And yet I feel their fear from here. They are but a fraction of our fleet in numbers. Believe in the will of the Ori. Know their hands shield us even now. Even should these blasphemers succeed in taking your lives, by accepting the will of the Ori you shall ascend to a state of power the likes of which you cannot imagine. Have faith and be strong. All those who do not follow the Path of Origin will be destroyed."

On the other side of the empty zone of space separating the two fleets, Admiral Han Shintre surveyed the enemy. Already they were launching their fighters, but even with six hundred capital ships, they were able to launch only two hundred fighter craft. The Romulans were the only ones to produce such craft in numbers. Even the Ori forces did not have many, since their deadly cruisers were enough.

"All ships, this is Shintre," Han said. "Launch all fighters, assault shuttles and al'kesh. Repeat, launch all ships. Ha'taks and Imperial frigates, open the road. All heavy weapon ships are to concentrate on the Ori cruisers once resonance torpedoes have been deployed. And may the Force be with us all!"

Swarms of TIEs, assault shuttles, deathgliders, al'kesh, F-501s and F-505s launched from their respective carriers. In the midst of the fighter squadrons, one reduced squadron of ten ships stayed in better formation than most. In the lead ship, Max Evans took a deep, calming breath. Suddenly the squadron-specific channel on their ship-to-ship subspace erupted with hard, pounding music. He looked and saw it was coming from JD-5, O'Neill's ship. "John, what is that?"

"Mood music," John O'Neill said. "Haven't any of you kids ever seen _Apocolypse Now?_ This is Wagner, baby. We're going to war."

"More Western propaganda," Padawan Voronkova said. Then they heard her chuckle. "Borodin or Shostakovich would be better, but then again the Russians always write better music."

Max's scanners showed they were almost within weapon's range of the Ori-loyal fighters. "Heat 'em up," Max said. "We act as one. We pick one target at a time. Stay in formation until otherwise ordered. Fighting as a team, we will be unstoppable."

The first fighters in front of them began firing. Through the Force, they all felt the warning and the entire squadron pulled up and then corkscrewed as a series of Husnock missiles scorched past them.

"Light 'em up," Max said, as the _Ride of the Valkyries_ played triumphantly in over their subspace com systems.

* * *

As space ignited with weapons fire and ship explosions, Minister Teal'c of the Jaffa Confederation cloaked his al'kesh. The fifty other al'kesh behind him did the same, and quickly they pulled out of the main attack vector. They knew from years of war against the Ori that only the Ori cruisers themselves could detect cloaked al'kesh, and that even then it was difficult for them to do so.

He pulled his forces over the line of the battle, avoiding all enemy ships. As Admiral Shintre had predicted, the Ori forces were shifting their battle-lines forward to reinforce the line of defense. Some ships did remain in place in the event of a rear-guard attack.

"The Ori have long memories," Thor had told them en-route. "They remember the tactics the Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance used in the Corusca Galaxy. There will be no games to weaken their forces this time."

Still, the reality of battle required tactical adjustments. As the density of the enemy ships lessened, Teal'c saw their path. "Jaffa, _kree_!" he barked in the encrypted subspace channel. Although they could not see each other, through the subspace communications they were able to coordinate their positioning relative to the gate itself. All fifty ships poured invisible through the enemy lines and flew toward the back of the massive supergate.

Teal'c wished they had the means to damage the gate, but all the firepower of the al'kesh combined would have done nothing. Nonetheless they could still strike a blow for their allies.

The al'kesh swerved around the gate and came within sight of the line of Ori cruisers. One hundred strong, the largest gathering of such ships he had ever seen. Using their communications network, he began painting individual targets. He followed his invisible squadron as they took up positions.

Teal'c knew that even with resonance torpedoes the Ori ships would no longer be struck helpless, but the shield strength would be permanently reduced to levels more in line with those of the Commonwealth. Otherwise, the Ori ships would have been invincible.

One of the cruisers on the end of the formation nearest him began shifting position to begin a more in-depth scan of the space immediately surrounding the gate. The rest of the Alliance ships were still engaging the outer ring of the Ori fleet, so he and his ships were alone. Once detected, their cloaks would be of limited value.

"Jaffa," Teal'c said, "attack!"

Fifty al'kesh dropped their cloaks and soared through the Ori ranks, firing two to three resonance torpedoes at each cruiser. The cruisers responded immediately and started to break up their formation even while Ori fighters held in reserve launched from the ships' bays to respond.

The al'kesh were tough ships, though, and with Asgard-enhanced shields were able to withstand several blows before being destroyed. Teal'c continued painting targets and firing as around him his ships did the same. He saw many explode, and knew their time was short, but the sheer number of cruisers they were able to weaken made the maneuver worth it.

His co-pilot raised a fist. "That is all of them. All torpedoes have been fired!"

Their ship buckled under enemy fire, and through their viewports they could see al'kesh erupting in brief balls of flame under enemy fire. "All al'kesh cloak and withdrawal," he ordered. He switched channels. "This is Teal'c to Alliance fleet. Torpedoes have been deployed. We are withdrawing."

Shintre responded personally. "Understood. We are on our way!"

The main Commonwealth Alliance fleet surged forward. The star destroyers switched from turbolasers only to the batteries of superlasers, while the Commonwealth ships fired their superlasers to open a window to the Ori cruisers.

Although too distant for naked eyes to see, Shintre saw on the _Commonwealth_'s tactical display as the forty combined ships of the Asgard and Antaran fleets reverted to real space north of the solar plane directly over the Supergate and the scattered Ori cruisers.

Asgard and Antaran darted down on the enemy ships and fired their considerable weapons in tandem, and almost immediately an Ori cruiser erupted in a white ball of gas. The Ori responded with frightening speed and in seconds three white pulses of death ripped through an Antaran mother ship.

The Alliance ships continued to fire regardless, and more Ori ships exploded even as they mounted their own defense and extracted heavy losses among the powerful Asgard and Antaran fleets.

On the bridge of the _Commonwealth_, Shintre watched as an Aschen capital ship exploded under a blast of his ship's superlaser. Beside him, a smaller Commonwealth destroyer folded in on itself under a barrage of enemy fire that overwhelmed its shields. It was the _Striker_, Han saw briefly before it died. Another Commonwealth ship flared as its hypermatter reactor ruptured. The _Pericles_, one of the last of the first generation Attack Command Carriers, flared violently amidst a group of Romulan warbirds. The explosion was so intense with the release of the hypermatter that the Romulan ships which destroyed her exploded under the shockwave.

"Imperial Frigate _Adumar_ has suffered cataclysmic reactor damage," communications reported. "They are abandoning ship." The frigate, as large as the _Commonwealth_, began to split along its dorsal axis as tiny specks of escape pods attempted to escape. Most pods were lost in the following explosion as the ship died.

"All capital ships continue toward the gate," Shintre said grimly.

* * *

"They're taking a pounding," John Sheppard noted.

Around them explosions shattered space as fighter after fight exploded. Twice they had to dodge friendly fire, so numerous were the ships. "Then let's give them some help. JD-2, you go first. Pick a ship."

Michael Guerin immediately painted a Husnock ship to starboard. "Target painted, break and attack," Max said.

The squadron of Jedi-piloted F-505s spun and dove toward the Husnock ship. Lean and dark, the ship looked as threatening as the Reptilians who flew her. Still, the shields collapsed under a volley of proton torpedoes from Michael's lead. Firing in perfect synchronicity, the squadron produced firepower approaching that of a small capital ship. Explosions scratched huge gouges from the hull.

"Mark II away," Michael said. "Fox 1!"

The F-505s banked up and over the Husnock ship as Michael's tactical, naquadah-enfused nuclear missile struck the damaged and unshielded hull of the Husnock vessel. The ship disappeared in a ball of white nuclear fire, and when the fire faded the ship was cracked in half and wholly dead.

"Moving on," Max said. "JD-3, your turn. Paint a target."

Sheppard grinned. "Target painted, let's go!"

* * *

The Orici's rage burned so strong the entire bridge felt it. The Commonwealth ships were breaking through the line with only minimal casualties. The Ori cruisers had successfully forced the Asgard and Antaran ships to withdraw back to the enemy lines, but the cost made her blood boil. Twenty cruisers destroyed in the space of mere minutes. The outrage was almost more than she could bear.

Now the surviving Asgard and Antaran ships aided the rest of their cursed fleet in cutting through the lines of Aschen, Husnock and Romulan ships.

Her faith in her allies, she now saw, was sadly misplaced. "Enough of this," she said. She mentally sent the command to her Priors piloting the cruisers, and the mighty Ori cruisers broke formation as thirty of their number surged through the battle-lines to engage the approaching ships.

The Orici's ship remained behind. Her time to kill the enemy would come soon enough.

* * *

Commodore Adele Kamanin of the UECS _Delhi_ heavy command cruiser wiped blood from her brow and took a quick survey of what was left. The concerted beams of two Ori cruisers seared through the _Delhi's_ shields, and she knew it was only a matter of seconds before a third beam finished them off.

Both helm control stations were lost in a pile of twisted, burnt metal. Further back in the command deck she saw functioning stations and a few crewmen trying to pick themselves up. Tactical was still operational and she ran to the tactical lieutenant's side. "Status?"

"Shields are gone and heavy damage to the prow. But they shot high. The main weapons are still functioning but targeting will be manual. We're drifting out of control and taking small fire from fighters only. Looks like the Ori think we're dead."

The whole length of the ship shuttered under a barrage of that "small" fire.

Kamanin digested it all in a heartbeat, and made her decision a split second later. "As much as I would like to avoid the Ori's attention, I would like even better to make them realize we're here. Fire starboard aft longitudinal thrusters, but do it at one-tenth power. Make it look like we're drifting. Bring us around slowly until we're facing the main body of Ori ships in front of the gate. Look for the ship painted Ori-1."

The _Delhi_ assumed a slight spin. The Romulan fighters broke off, assuming their additional shots had finished off the ship. Adele assumed a seat next to the lieutenant. "What's your name?" she asked lightly of the young woman.

"Elena Tyler," the lieutenant said. "If we fire, they're going to kill us, aren't they?"

"Yep," Kamanin said. It was at that moment that the Commodore finally understood Admiral O'Neill's odd sense of humor. "But they'll never take us lightly, will they?"

"No, ma'am," Tyler said.

The ship continued its modest spin as the ship identified by the Jedi in the fleet as Ori-1 came into targeting range. Adele switched the station controls to that of manual targeting and used her own override codes to get access to the main weapon. She switched the com. "All stations, the bridge has been damaged and shields are gone. We are preparing to fire our primary weapon and will almost certainly not survive for a second shot. All personnel are to abandon ship."

She turned to Tyler. "You can go too."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, the bridge is lonely with only one person. I'll stay and keep you company for a while." Adele nodded.

The Russian career officer reached out and took the hand of the younger former Med-student from the poor side of New York, and together entered the code to fire.

Massive energies swelled from the dedicated hypermatter reactor in the core of the ship and was channeled through the most powerful magnetic fields ever achieved by humanity down the long augmenting shafts to explode at full power from the lens points under the shattered bridge of the ship.

An Aschen ship venturing too close had half its port side burned away as the twin beams of destruction seared through the battle lines and impacted against the weakened shields of an Ori cruiser hovering near the gate.

Inside that weakened cruiser, Adria fell to the floor as the rest of the command crew flew from their stations. The Orici staggered back to her feet. "Destroy that ship!" she commanded.

Instantly five Ori cruisers broke away from their individual pursuits. One actually exploded when the Star Destroyer it had engaged fired on its aft side. The other four fired their full weapons, which converged in four pulses of death on all sides of the _Delhi_. The heavy cruiser shattered in a ball of white fire so intense only shrapnel remained to tell of its existence.

Suddenly a ship appeared directly in front of Adria's command ship. It was Commonwealth in design, one of their older single-weapon ships. It must have been cloaked, she realized.

Then she realized her ship had no shielding. "Fire!" she screamed, but the fire control man was still picking himself off the floor.

Lights beamed through the ship. She felt the intruders, hundreds of them. She spun around as one of the intruders materialized before her.

Her rage sputtered a moment in shock. "Daniel?" she whispered.

"I knew I would see you again," Daniel Jackson said.

* * *

Teal'c sat alone in the cockpit of his al'kesh. His co-pilot was burned by the plasma-fire from their last engagement. Beyond the view screen of his al'kesh, the space around him glittered with debris, broken occasionally by streaking fighters or the more ominous passing of capital ships.

The Jaffa minister of defense fought in many battles over the years, but the majority were fought on land for supremacy of a planet's resources by one Goa'uld or another. Although space engagements happened, they were rare simply due to the expense of ha'tak construction. In all his years, never had he fought a battle like this one.

He checked his sensors as his fire control officer and son cleared his throat. "Weapons are gone," Rya'c said. "It was a glorious battle."

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "You fought well, Son."

"Thank you."

The Ori fighter that damaged their al'kesh appeared to be coming back around on the sensors. He motioned for his son to join him. Rya'c stood by Teal'c's side as the fighter came within firing range.

A shower of green turbolaser bolts sprayed past the front of the al'kesh. The Ori fighter reacted by spinning and presenting its main weapons to the attackers even as momentum carried it toward Teal'c.

The turbolaser fire was too much, however, and the fighter broke up. A moment later nine F-505 Eagles soared by. "Teal'c, is that you?" a familiar voice said.

Teal'c couldn't hide his grin. "It is indeed, Max Evans. Your timing is perfect."

"What's your condition?" the Jedi knight asked.

"We are adrift."

"Understood. The _Commonwealth_ is the nearest ship in range. We're going to shield you as best we can until they can beam you over. I've relayed your position to them."

"Thank you, Max Evans."

In the crowded space beyond, Max quickly surveyed his sensor suite. A Romulan warbird was limping toward them after a flight of TIEs. One of the enemy's warp nacelles bled plasma into space, yet it continued firing until the entire flight of TIEs were destroyed. Then it shifted course directly toward the F-505s and the damaged al'kesh.

"Figures," John O'Neill said. "Lead, if we play defense that thing will take Teal'c apart."

"Roger that," Max said. "O'Neill, Guerin, Voronkova and Bristow, break and attack. The rest stay with me."

Four fighters surged forward and opened fire with proton torpedoes and turbolasers. The warbird shuddered under the assault yet continued firing. Overhead, the _Commonwealth_ started exchanging fire with an Ori cruiser. The Ori ship's attack laced the dorsal side of the Terran heavy cruiser even as Admiral Shintre fired both primary weapons. The Ori cruiser erupted in white flame.

"That warbird getting too close!" Max said. "Sheppard, Cassie, lock and fire! Knock them out! Is and Izzie, cover us!"

In their fighters, Isabel Evans and her older clone Isobel Stevens gripped their control sticks and shifted their fighters to cover the three others in front of them. "Teal'c, hang on," Isabel said.

"We are in your hands, Isabel Evans," Teal'c said. "We could not ask for better protection."

"That's real sweet, Teal'c," Isabel said. "But just about now I wouldn't mind a heavy command carrier to back us up."

As Max, Cassie Fraiser and John Sheppard joined the other four Jedi already pounding the Romulan warbird, the wounded ship's port nacelle exploded violently, sending the ship into an uncontrolled spin. Max sighed with relief until he saw a pair of torpedoes streak out of the warbird's tubes. A moment later the Romulan ship exploded, leaving only the two streaking weapons as its testament.

"Teal'c!" Max cried. "Incoming!"

Immediately Isabel and Izzie opened fire. Isabel let the Force guide her hand on the fire control button, until at last one of the torpedoes exploded. The shockwave of the blast shot past the second one and actually impacted their shields, pushing both fighters out of firing range.

The second torpedo was just seconds away.

Isabel did not even consciously decide to act. She knew she had to protect Teal'c and his son. She hit her thruster control onto full burn and at the same time nudged her craft with the Force, making up the twenty meters in two seconds. "I love you, Max," she started to say, as the torpedo struck her shields directly above her canopy.

Max felt his stomach churn as a darkness struck through the Force directly into his mind. The torpedo detonated against the shields of his sister's fighter, shredding them instantly and burning down into the cockpit.

"Isabel," Max whispered as tears formed in his eyes.

"Max!" Michael called. His voice cracked. "Oh my God, they got Is!"

When Padawan Jennifer Hailey's ship was hit, the blow was bad enough. But Isabel was more than a colleague. She was his sister. In a very real way she was Michael's sister. She was among the first of the Terran Jedi.

"Max," Sheppard said. "I know it's hard. We'll mourn her. We will. But right now we're in the middle of a war. Pull it back, put it someplace inside, and deal with it later."

Max fought against the rage he felt as his sister's shattered fighter drifted down and bounced off Teal'c's damaged al'kesh. "You're right," he managed to say. "_Commonwealth_ is nearly in range. Teal'c, prepare to beam out."

Their channel erupted in a startled scream and then static as Padawan Daria Voronkova's fighter exploded. The other fighters all spun around to bring their weapons to bear when Bristow's fighter was struck in the wing.

"I've lost lateral controls!" Sidney called, her voice calm on the surface but roiling underneath with fear and determination.

"Hang on, Sid, we'll get you," Cassie called. She brought her fighter forward as the other fighters opened fire on the encroaching Aschen capital ship. Using the super-strong mono-filament structure of her wing, the younger Jedi used her ship to "catch" Bristow's and stop the spin.

"Holy crap that was good flying!" Sidney called, just as a massive Aschen distruptor blast struck the bottom center of her ship. The entire cockpit with Sidney in it exploded out and her fighter shattered.

Cassie screamed through her com as shrapnel ruptured her own cockpit.

Max and the others continued firing, and finally the remaining ships launched a full salvo of torpedoes. The Aschen capital ship, already weakened by ongoing fighter engagements, shuddered and exploded.

Only when the immediate threat passed did John O'Neill call out: "Cassie! Talk to me."

Her voice sounded weak. "I'm hurt pretty bad," she said. "The cockpit's lost pressure and my suit's punctured. I'm…." Her voice faded.

"This is _Commonwealth_," a new voice came over the Fleet-wide band. "Minister Teal'c and his crew have been recovered."

"_Commonwealth,_ JD-1. Recover JD-8 immediately for medical care."

"Roger, JD-8 tagged." They all saw a flash of light from Cassie's cockpit. "JD-8 recovered."

"Thanks, _Commonwealth,_" O'Neill said.

"_Commonwealth_, JD-1. JD-4 also needs recovery."

"JD-1, reading no life signs for JD-4."

"Understood, _Commonwealth_," Max said. He swallowed and cleared his throat. "That was my sister. Please recover."

A brief pause. "Understood, JD-1. We'll take care of her."

Max checked his stats. They started as ten. Now they were six.

"JD Squadron, form up. We're not done here," he said darkly.


	83. The Battle of Romulus, Part 2

**RJLCyberPunk**--Thank you, I'm glad to have you reading!

**Snowfur**--It was pure chance.

**Roosterman71**--It could have been anyone of the piloting Jedi. Literally--I threw dice to decide who lived and who died.

**ScreenSurfer**--Very true. Hence the Asgard's admission later than Chap 24 that the Empire still out does them in blunt offensive power. At least in this AU. And a reminder if you haven't reached it yet, that my Krayt is NOT the Krayt from canon. I wrote this before they revealed Krayt's identity.

**Alex**--Okay, I will. It's only a few chapters away.

**Northern-megas**--No Sith Max, but many dead Aschen. And you will see the conclusion of the battle in this chapter. And you might be surprised at what Daniel can do. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Eighty-Three: The Battle of Romulus – Part 2**

_Median Orbit Between Remus and Romulus, Thursday, September 4, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 3:12 p.m. GMT_

"I knew I would see you again," Daniel said.

Adria stood stunned motionless for a moment. In the instant of her hesitation, three objects appeared around her, followed by more Jedi.

"You fool," she whispered, her rage burning away her surprise. "You had your chance to kill me. But that moment is gone." She reached inside to summon her fire, and then froze in shock.

The power was not there.

Quickly the Terrans either killed or incapacitated the bridge crew as Daniel continued to stare at Adria. "It took the best minds in the Commonwealth Alliance to design those devices," Daniel said as he pointed to the three disc-shaped objects around her. "The Sangraal helped. At first the Jedi experimented with it against Priors at Andoria. We learned that certain frequencies of electromagnetic energy interfered with a Prior's abilities but did not affect the Jedi. But it was temporary and a Prior could overcome it in time. But when we had the Sangraal and were able to truly study it, even if only for a few days, we realized we could do so much more. Unlike the Force, your powers flow from another dimension of space-time. This device generates an energy wave at the exact opposite frequency. Right now, my love, you are no more than human."

Adria strode forward, and with a perfectly human gesture, slapped Daniel across the face.

"Ouch," Admiral O'Neill said. "You don't do so good with the women, do you, Daniel?"

Adria spun about. "What blasphemy is this?" she hissed. Then she saw the rest—four Jedi, along with the Admiral and a little man she recognized from Merlin's planet as a scientist all defiled her bridge. Her eyes turned to the crew status readout where she saw that the entire crew and compliment of her ship had been beamed into space.

Her eyes then drifted back to the scientist, and the object in his hands. "You think my masters will let you ever use that device?" she sneered. "They wait even now, sensing everything we do. Atom by atom they will obliterate this ship as it goes through the gate. You have no hope."

"There's always hope," Daniel said.

"We'd better hurry," Siana said. "The ship's been secured."

Daniel stepped past Adria while Siana, Tess Harding and Dana Scully stepped to each open side of the triangle formed around the Orici by the anti-prior devices. They had their sabers out and were ready to cut at a moment's notice.

"Why don't you just kill me?" Adria demanded.

"Two reasons," Daniel said as he began working over the navigational controls of the Ori ship. "One, I love you. Two, we need some method of determining if this works or not."

In the battle beyond, the _Odyssey_ quickly cloaked and disappeared. The other Ori cruisers did not respond as the Orici's personal ship withdrew five thousand meters from the supergate. The intervention of the other cruisers into the front line had the immediate effect of slowing the Commonwealth advance, and so the Orici was obviously pleased.

When the supergate began dialing, it was assumed by the Ori fleet that other ships would soon be joining the battle from the Ori universe. The Ori soldiers, loyal and faithful, did not understand the basic one-way physics of stargate wormholes. The Priors in their ships did not dare assume anything. While they were higher servants of the Ori than ordinary men, the Orici was higher still; higher even than the Doci himself, who remained behind to command the production of vessels in their home galaxy.

The seventh and eight chevrons of the supergate locked. The seventh locked in an ordinary address; the eighth projected the gate for great distance. The gate, which had been assembled and powered by a now dead planet in a neighboring system before being transported to Romulus, burst into life as a massive whirlpool of energy surged out toward the other ships. Several fighters, Ori and Commonwealth, and one Husnock vessel whose captain still didn't understand what a stargate was, were too close to the event horizon. The fighters ceased to exist and the Husnock vessel suddenly found itself missing its entire port quarter.

The ship exploded a moment later when its anti-matter reactor lost containment.

"It's time," Daniel said. The others nodded. Adria spun around as the _Odyssey_ uncloaked again. The Jedi and all personnel disappeared in a flash of white. All, except for Daniel. A moment later, just as Ori cruisers turned to fire on her, the _Odyssey_ disappeared again. The Ori beams passed through empty space.

"Just like the shields you have over your world," Adria noted.

"A gift from Merlin," Daniel said. "We are alone. The ship is going to your galaxy."

"Then I shall enjoy watching you die."

The air hummed briefly, and from behind her a new voice spoke. "Not today, Adria."

The Orici spun around and struggled to keep her jaw from dropping. "You!" she whispered. "Your presence is blasphemy! You cannot be here!"

Kyle Katarn stood before the Orici and Daniel Jackson with a lop-sided grin. He looked no older than Daniel, with reddish-brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. "I'm not doing anything," he said as he walked past Adria. "And while I'm in this galaxy, I'll continue not to do anything."

"You won't be able to stop the combined wrath of the Ori!" Adria said. "Not even all the Ascended of this cursed galaxy could stop them from destroying this ship."

"I don't need to stop them," Kyle said. "I just need to slow them down."

"For two seconds," Daniel said.

"You will die too," Adria said to Kyle. "Even as an Ascended being, you will cease to exist."

"I can live with that," Kyle said.

"For two seconds, at least," Daniel added.

The Jedi Master laughed. "Yes, for two seconds."

Daniel stepped past the line of the devices holding Adria's power in check as the ship surged toward the event horizon of the supergate. "That, Adria, is why the Ori must lose. Your followers die for you because you demand it. You trick them and lie to them and make them believe they will ascend, but you of all people know it won't happen. Ascension for un-evolved races can only happen with guidance, and while I was with you, did the Ori assist any of the millions of followers who died for them to ascension? And yet, before you stand two men opposed to the Ori, who not only will give our lives, but will sacrifice our very souls, of our own free will. That is what we fight for, Adria. The right of all sentience species to exercise free will."

"What good will your free will do?" Adria snapped. "After they are destroyed, I will ascend and I will replace them, and we will return a thousand fold."

Daniel reached up and put a hand on her cheek. "I wish you wouldn't."

"It's time," Kyle said. The ship hit the event horizon. Kyle's physical body disappeared and the whole ship took on a spectral glow as the ascended Jedi shielded it. Instantly the glow went from a light green to spots of dark red under the combined assault of the Ori.

"One," Daniel said.

Adria felt a tear in her eye. Angrily, she grabbed his shirt.

"Two," he said.

She pulled him to her, and their lips met as the green glow around them faded into angry red, just as the sangraal ignited. The red crystal in Merlin's weapon turned brilliantly sapphire and blue light streaked out across the ship and then even beyond that.

In Daniel's arms, Adria's head pulled away from his as she screamed in agony. The white crystal around her neck flared a piercing white, turned suddenly blue, and then died back down to a dull piece of quartz. All fluorescence formerly seen in the stone died abruptly.

The Orici collapsed to the floor, her shoulders shaking. "They're gone!" she howled. "You murdered them all."

Daniel nodded and fell to his knees beside her. "I know, I'm sorry."

"A million years of knowledge and power, erased by primitive monkeys!" Adria raged.

"Who will, in a million years, be just as knowledgeable and just as powerful," Daniel said. "And maybe then some younger species will be forced to destroy us as well. It had to happen."

"I will kill you," Adria said.

Daniel stood up, and with a flick of his hand the three devices holding her back deactivated. "Now's your chance."

Adria gaped at him. Almost immediately she sprang to her feet and fire burned at her finger tips. "You fool."

Daniel nodded. "I know. It's the only way I could show you. I never lied to you, Adria. Not once, when I told you I loved you, was I lying. I do love you. And if I have to die so that you can gain some peace with what had to happen, then for you I die willingly. By my own free will, I have given, and will continue to give myself to you."

The fire died. "You stand there talking to me about love, and yet in two seconds you destroyed everything I was or will be."

"And I offer you a chance to be even more. Be with me, Adria. I'll leave the Jedi, and we can go anywhere you want. Just the two of us, as man and wife."

Her laugh had a frantic, disbelieving tone. "Man and wife. The leader of the Ori in this galaxy and a Jedi, getting married. And we'll have beautiful little children who will call me 'Mommy' and will want me to change their diapers and hold them when they scrape their knees. And we'll just live happily ever after. Do you honestly believe, after all you've done to me, that there could ever be a happily ever after with us?"

"I hoped," Daniel said sadly.

"Then you are a fool!" she hissed as the fire returned to her fingers. "And I was a fool to ever think you worthy of my love!" The tears burned away as her rage consumed her. The fire gathered at her hands, and poured forth.

Daniel gathered the Force around him and shunted the flame aside. The attack was no greater than that of a prior. With her connection to her masters severed, her power diminished to just that held within her, a power comparable to the Ancients, and the priors.

The power was not comparable to an Antaran-energized Jedi trained by the greatest Jedi Master of the Milky Way Galaxy. Adria gaped in shock when Daniel waved aside her attack, and was still gaping when his blue lightsaber burned through her chest. She looked up, and saw tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in a thick, sobbing voice. He deactivated the blade as she fell into him.

With a trembling hand, she touched his tears. "You really did love me," she whispered.

"I did," Daniel said. He cradled her as the two sank to the floor. "I always loved you, even though I hated what you did. And I love you now."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "You did love me." It came out as a gurgling whisper. A moment later, her body slackened as her mortal coil died. Daniel laid her gently on the floor of the ship, and then stepped back, waiting. If she ascended, he knew she would be the sole recipient of all the psychic energy of every Ori follower in two galaxies. She would be unstoppable.

There was no ascension. There was nothing.

"She had no soul," a familiar voice said. Daniel looked up from Adria with tears in his eyes and saw Q standing across from her body, wearing a strange leisure-suit of a uniform with black slacks and a burgundy top. He wore some misshapen arrow-head symbol over his heart.

"She could have ascended," Daniel said.

"But only if she willed it," Q said. He locked Daniel's eyes in a piercing gaze. "And for whatever reason, she chose not to."

Beside him, Kyle Katarn appeared. "Master!" Daniel said. "I thought you were destroyed."

"I was," Kyle said, sounding confused.

"The Q Continuum was impressed," Q said. "They said I could keep you around as a plaything."

"I think I'd rather be dead again," Kyle said.

"That can be arranged." Q smiled, and then returned his attention to Adria. "So this was your plan all along? Make the Orici fall in love, and use that love to weaken her?"

"I wouldn't call it a plan," Kyle said.

"Maybe a strategy," Daniel said. He took a long, shaky breath. "We couldn't know for sure what was going on, but from Kyle's Ancient memories we knew that Merlin worked on a weapon to kill Ascended beings. We also knew that having an agent in the Ori camp would help us define exactly what we were going to do."

"Falling in love with the Orici was never part of the original plan," Kyle said. "How did that happen?"

"Over the two years of my captivity, she came to me regularly, and I realized that all that power was still nestled within the body of Vala Mal Doran's daughter. She had a human physiology as well as Ori. The fact she routinely killed all her prisoners but me made me suspect I was special to her. And I won't lie." He knelt down and touched her cooling cheek. "She was extraordinary. Her intelligence. Her power. I couldn't help falling in love with her either."

"You didn't actually think that little bit about marriage in the end would work, did you?" Q said.

"I hoped," Daniel said.

Q shrugged. "Oh well. You both know the war isn't over, don't you?"

"It will be shortly," Daniel predicted. "With the Ori gone, there will be no new Priors. Their power will erode away even if we lose the battle today. But, something tells me we won't lose."

"That reminds me," Kyle said suddenly. "Your escape window is pretty damned short. You better get back through that gate." He turned and studied Q's uniform. "So what's with that ridiculous get-up, anyway?"

"Mourning the passing of an era that will never be," Q said. "One of the possible futures you destroyed when you and your little pet came to Earth." Suddenly he grinned. "Not that I'm too disappointed. The new future looks very exciting as well!"

He clicked his fingers, and with a flash of light he and Kyle Katarn were gone.

Daniel ran to the controls and reactivated the gate.

* * *

The _Odyssey_ hovered on the edge of the battle, avoiding fire where it could.

The battle was not going well for the Commonwealth. Of the twenty ships each in the Antaran and Asgard Fleets, only five Antaran ships remained and only seven Asgard survived.

Of the Imperial Sector Fleet, six of the star destroyers had been obliterated, along with nine of their frigates.

All but two of the ha'taks were gone, and of the forty ships of the United Earth Commonwealth, only fifteen remained, including the _Odyssey_ herself.

However, the toll on the Ori fleet was also considerable. Only twenty of the Ori cruisers remained, and the entire Aschen fleet was gone, with a straggling few Husnock and Romulan capital ships fighting in support of the cruisers. The space was so densely packed with debris, unshielded flight was impossible.

"The gate's reactivated," Siana noted.

Admiral O'Neill leaned forward in his seat as the familiar whirlpool belched out from the supergate. A moment later a lone Ori cruiser emerged.

"We're getting a signal," the Communications officer said, but the Jedi on board already knew.

"The Orici is dead," Siana said. "The weapon's been deployed. We did it. The Ori are gone."

Jack turned and stared at her, his jaw agape. "You mean this crazy plan of yours actually worked?"

"There's still one more thing to do," Rodney said. "I'm activating our spare gate."

"Right," O'Neill said. "Cloak the ship and take us in at best speed."

On the bridge of the Ori cruiser, Daniel stood alone and watched as space burned around him. He could sense in the Force the overwhelming psychic energy of so many lost lives, millions of sentient beings whose existences were snuffed out like so many candles. All for a lie.

Suddenly the _Odyssey_ de-cloaked directly in front of him, and a moment later he stood on the Commonwealth ship. He heard O'Neill activating the fleet-wide communication channel, but did not watch. Instead, he turned to look at the gate, and the lonely cruiser resting stationary before its shimmering event horizon.

"This is Fleet Admiral O'Neill to all Commonwealth Alliance ships. Break off and rendezvous at Beta Site coordinates. Repeat, break off and retreat. We have accomplished the mission objectives."

Across the theatre of battle, Commonwealth, Imperial and Jaffa fighters broke off from their engagements and darted toward the nearest Alliance ships, regardless of origin. TIEs flew toward Commonwealth cruisers while the few surviving F-501s and 505s flew with Death gliders toward Star Destroyers if they were closest.

No Ori-loyal fighters remained, but the cruisers that survived started to follow when the Priors realized that the enemy was retreating, and that the Commonwealth signal they monitored the signal to retreat came from a single ship flying by the supergate.

The priors who controlled the cruisers could not afford to wait for orders from the Orici. To have the enemy so close to the gate was an unacceptable risk. Immediately the remaining Ori fleet spun around and made best time toward the supergate and the UECS _Odyssey._

On the lone ship in question, Rodney called out: "The gate is active."

"Helm, deactivate all artificial gravity in the port docking nacelle," Admiral O'Neill said. "Then rotate the ship along its central axis. Give me two full 360 degree rotations with full thrusters, and on the perigee of our second flip release the gate clamps."

The _Odyssey_'s powerful positioning thrusters fired at full strength and sent the ship spinning length-wise around its center of gravity. In the left nacelle directly center of the supergate, a much smaller stargate, the second one found in Antarctica, glistened blue.

Even with inertial dampening fields, the crew could not ignore the sensation of spinning as the stars flew wildly by their ports.

"We're exceeding structural tolerances on the ship," an officer called out.

"You think?" O'Neill shouted back. "I'm more worried about those Ori cruisers about to shoot us." He turned to Rodney. "Coming up on the second spin. Rodney, if you mess this up I'm going to kick your…"

"Gate is away!" Rodney said, completely oblivious to any threats made to his posterior.

From the port flight deck of the Commonwealth ship, the shimmering stargate shot out like a rock from a sling shot, spinning directly for the supergate just a few thousand meters away.

"Stop all rotation!" O'Neill said. "Rodney, get that cloak back up. Helm, best speed out of here. Move!"

The navigational thrusters fired. Across the ship, metal screeched. Vents and pipes ruptured and control screens sparked. "Shield is non-operative!" Rodney said.

"Figures," O'Neill muttered. He raised his voice. "Best speed, get us out of here!"

The Ori cruisers and their tattered support ships quickly flew into firing range of the _Odyssey_ as the Commonwealth ship poured on power and started flying down from the gate toward solar south. The enemy ships did not immediately sense the smaller stargate flying like a shimmering bullet just over the top of the Orici's cruiser, toward the larger ocean that was the supergate's event horizon. They were concerned only with their prey.

Daniel still stood on the bridge of the _Odyssey_, watching in reverse as the dwindling supergate and the stargate came into contact, merging their two wormholes. The flash of white light immediately caused the view screen to go black.

"Someone get us into hyperspace before that shockwave hits!" O'Neill shouted.

Daniel ignored Jack and turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked down at Siana. She smiled comfortingly up to him, and then joined him in looking as the view screen's protective shield faded and let them see what was happening.

The science officer began to describe the effects of the exploded gates in a hushed voice, as if she were witnessing the birth of creation itself.

In a way, Daniel imaged it was not so dissimilar. The energy wave created by the violent merging of two opposing wormholes flashed out across the Romulan system and toward the fleeing Terran ship.

Even knowing the shockwave was pure death, Daniel felt no fear. He knew as the hyperspace window opened for the _Odyssey_ that they would make it.

What the view screen showed next was actually sent via subspace from the Asgard observation ship that was positioned well outside the theater of battle.

The titanic energies released by the combined wormholes tore raggedly through the star system. The Ori fleet was caught completely off guard and all were obliterated. Although Romulus was not physically destroyed, its atmosphere was bombarded with massive energies. Its magnetic and ozone layers were stripped away in seconds, leaving its atmosphere exposed and weakened.

The energy wave continued inward toward the Romulan sun. Again, the shock wave was not enough to destroy a star, but the corresponding disruptions in the star's magnetic fields resulted in a flare of such staggering magnitude that whatever survived on Romulus and Remos was surely destroyed by its own star.

The war, in essence, was over.

"We did it," Rodney said from his station. "Oh my God, we did it!"

Tess was in his arm, covering his face with kisses. "You did it, Rodney!" she cried in joy. "That was a one-in-a million shot."

O'Neill, for his part, just sat back down with a sigh. "About damned time."

Siana paid attention only to Daniel. "Are you all right?"

He looked down at the saber that killed the woman he loved, then back out at the streaking stars. They had gone to hyperspace. "I will be," he said. "We all will be, in time."


	84. The Living and the Dead

Roosterman71--The most important part of the entire conflict was not when Daniel killed Adria, but when Adria decided not to Ascend to a new Ori afterward.

Snowfur--She died loved. It might have been more than she deserved, but it was exactly what she needed.

Tombadgerlock--Yes, sadly. However, this chapter IS NOT THE END! The epilogue is almost twenty single-spaced pages. It's the longest single chapter I have. So make sure to come back next week!

* * *

**Chapter Eighty-Four: The Living and the Dead**

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Saturday, September 6, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 2:30 p.m. MT_

Diane Evans sat on the back porch of her son's house having a very intense conversation with her youngest granddaughter, Daniela.

Daniela, being only one year old, had a limited vocabulary. However, she exercised that vocabulary with great enthusiasm. "Nana!" she cried with a grin. She had a whopping total of four teeth now, with another coming that caused her to drool constantly. Still, Diane Evans held her with a big smile.

"Who do you love?" she asked.

"Nana!" Daniela said. Then the baby turned to her older sister Claudia, and called, "Nana!"

"I'm not Nana, silly baby," Claudia said with all the sophistication of a precocious four-year-old.

In the yard, her two grandsons were playing ball. Zan and Kyle were just under two years apart, and more often than not fought all the time. But when Nana was in the house, they were always on their best behavior.

Now they were throwing a football to each other, but with a twist that still amazed their grandmother. The ball would stop mid-air and then change direction to one side or the other. The game was anticipating which way the thrower would make it go after it was thrown.

The back doors opened and Liz stepped out. At home, all sign of the Jedi knight were gone, replaced by a beautiful young mother in shorts and a casual blouse. With the help of bacta the scar on her thigh had healed to a barely noticeable pink spot. She took the porch rocker beside Diane and surveyed her kids. "They love it when Nana visits," she said.

Diane smiled at her daughter-in-law. "Not nearly as much as Nana likes to visit. I'm so glad you asked me out."

Liz nodded. "Max and I have been taking turns on assignments since we started going off world. And we both understand this is the hardest part. Somehow, it's always easier when you or my parents are here. But he'll be back soon. I can feel it."

The two women waited in silence, pondering the future.

The previous day they sat side by side before the television, watching coverage of the Ori strike on New York before the shielding went up. Forty-five million Americans died in a matter of seconds. Pundits were already calling it the American Doomsday, while still others were calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the head of the Commonwealth Research Initiative for not getting the shield up sooner.

However, the calls for Charleston's resignation fell on deaf ears. Early Saturday morning, standing beside the Asgard Supreme Commander, the Antaran ambassador, a Vulcan, Jedi Knight Lord Cade Skywalker of the Galactic Empire, Prime Minister Bra'tac and Fleet Admiral Jack O'Neill, Prime Minister William Charleston III announced the complete eradication of the Ori from this galaxy, and possibly from the universe itself.

"We have lost so much," he finished. "We have sacrificed so much of ourselves and our people in this war. Finally, I can stand before you and say your sacrifices meant something. With our friends beside me, we have defeated the greatest threat this galaxy has ever known. Even as we look in anguish at the loss of life and the flames of one of our greatest cities, we can now also look forward toward an incredible future. Our tears today are the seeds of tomorrow. The seeds of forever. I mourn for those of you who have lost. But I also thank God that you were here with me, and that you trusted me through this difficult period. At last, there will be peace!"

It was still Friday by Mountain Time when the address came through. Liz and Diane had stayed up after the kids were in bed, talking about Max and Isabel and all the good times they had, and the bad. How Max once confessed to his mother about a crush he had on a girl in his sixth-grade class. The conversation halted and they listened in rapt silence.

"Is it really over?" Diane asked when the address ended.

Liz stood and walked to the kitchen where she kept her larger com unit. She walked back and started scrolling through the phone-sized device's in-box. "We got confirmation," she said. "The fleet is coming home." Then she paled.

"Liz, what is it?"

"The fleet suffered sixty-seven percent casualties in capital ships. Seventy-four percent casualties with fighter craft."

Diane also paled. "Max and Isabel?"

"No word yet," Liz said. "They won't release the names of the wounded or killed until they have a complete accounting." She turned the device off and looked at Diane. Her mother-in-law's face was drawn with fear and tension.

"And you go through this every time Max goes out?"

"And he goes through it when I go out," she said. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. She did not smile. "He's alive. I think something happened, but he's alive. I can't tell about Isabel, but we've never had a close Force connection."

Diane nodded and put her hands together under her chin in prayer.

Now, hours later and under the cloudy sky of an early September afternoon, they sat waiting for the return of their loved ones.

Liz sensed through the Force when Max arrived ten minutes later. The kids all dropped their games. Even Daniela started squirming. They all sensed he was near. But Liz also sensed a terrible, overwhelming grief. She realized quickly all was not as it should have been.

When he came through the open back door Claudia stood up and screamed. It was not a scream of delight, but rather of terror. Liz jumped to her feet and almost immediately fell to her knee when she saw her husband.

Max sat in a wheelchair before her with a sad smile on his scarred face. His right leg was gone above the knee and his hand was wrapped in bacta patches and bandages. His right eye was still red with burst blood vessels, and the scar ran down the length of his face, from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. It glistened under the synthetic skin holding it together in lieu of sutures.

Claudia stood frozen a foot away from him, crying despondently. Diane clutched Daniela to her as she also stood. The two boys just stared, shocked.

Liz quickly shook herself out of her shock and rushed to her husband to give him a hug and desperate kiss. "I was so scared," she said.

Max smiled weakly. "I was too," he said. He spoke slowly to keep from moving his wounded cheek. "We lost so many, Liz." He looked up at his mother and held out his good hand. Diane came and Liz took Daniela from her arms.

"Mother," he said.

"I'm so glad you're safe now," she said as she leaned over to kiss him. "Where's Isabel?"

Max's composure finally broke as tears ran down his cheeks. The tears beaded and ran off the surface of his scar. "I'm so sorry, Mother. We were trying to protect a Jaffa leader from a Romulan attack. A torpedo got by us, and she took it to save Teal'c and his son. She saved his life."

Diane fell to her knees. "Max…"

"She's dead, Mom. Isabel's dead. The _Commonwealth_ was recovering her body, and one of the last Aschen cruisers. We responded as best we could. I was hit. The _Commonwealth _beamed me out, but not before this happened."

Liz sat in the rocker cradling Daniela. Max leaned forward and held Claudia to his chest, then reached out for the boys. They were hesitant at first, but then rushed to him. The whole Evans family stayed there, wrapped in each other's arms, and mourned the loss of a sister.

* * *

_Chinle, Arizona, Saturday, September 6, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 2:45 p.m. MT_

Jack O'Neill found his wife sitting on the edge of a canyon in Arizona.

A CRI hovercar sat alone in the parking lot near one of the overlooks of Canyon De Chelly on the edge of a small town called Chinle. Jack pulled his own car up beside it and climbed out. It was mid afternoon with a refreshing breeze. In the distance he could see low clouds and darkened sheets of the rain that passed by not too long ago. Must of the debris cloud from New York had drifted north and west over the Atlantic, at least for the moment.

The Canyon was one of the places they visited during their honeymoon, and Sam commented on it being her favorite place. When he learned she had left her office, he used her car's GPS tracker and immediately found where to go.

He walked down the sandstone rock around large holes filled with little pools of water, to the very edge of the canyon. Below, the wash ran high with rain water. Sam sat on a ridge of rock looking out over the canyon. Her feet were perhaps two feet from the edge of a four-hundred foot drop.

A younger, more dramatic man might have been concerned about her jumping. Jack was old enough and secure enough in his knowledge of Sam, to know better. She was heartbroken, but not suicidal.

She said nothing as he walked around the edge and sat beside her. The sunlight was streaking through the clouds in bright spears, illuminating different spots of the canyon walls. They were absolutely alone. The only sound was the wind blowing through the pinon, juniper and creosote bushes.

They didn't speak for the longest time. Instead, he put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, and the two stared out over the canyon together. It was Sam who spoke first a few minutes later. "I should have tested the shield before the attack."

"And then the Ori would have known we had it," he said. He knew exactly what she would say, and she knew exactly how he would respond. "They would have gone straight to the fleet instead and we'd all be dead."

"Did you see what they said in the news?" She sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "They're saying I'm responsible for 45 million deaths."

"I lost over 8,000 under my direct command in the assault," Jack said. "And those were just Commonwealth personnel. Total Alliance losses were close to two million. That included Jennifer Hailey, Isabel Evans and others."

Sam sat up. "Jennifer and Isabel?"

"The Jedi had the highest kill ratio in the fleet by more than half and came through with the greatest number of viable fighters. Most squadrons were either wiped our or reduced to one or two survivors. But they still suffered losses and injuries. That happens in war, Sam. People die. And it's no more your fault than it is mine. Millions of people died, and that sucks more than words can say. But billions more survived because of what you and your people did. So think about that when those idiots start trying to lay blame."

She leaned back into him. "I'm pretty tired."

"So quit," Jack said. "I'm going to."

She hugged him close. "That sounds good. When you going to quit?"

"A few hours ago," Jack said smugly. "I got a month to clean things up a bit, and then I'm gone."

Sam sat up and giggled. "You really did, didn't you?"

"Yep, right after the Prime Minister gave his speech, I gave him my resignation."

"What'd he say?"

"He said he'd be joining me as soon as his term was up."

She leaned over and passionately kissed the man who started out as an adversarial officer and ended up her husband. "Jack, have I told you lately how much I love you?"

He looked down at her and said, "Every time you smile at me, Sam."

* * *

_High Earth Orbit, Sunday, September 7, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 12:01 a.m. GMT_

Izzie Stevens and her daughter Hannah walked through the corridors of the Imperial Star Destroyer _Corusca_, the flagship of the fleet on loan from its name-sake galaxy. Beside the two Jedi padawans walked a legend.

No one on Earth had ever met a Skywalker, but through Kyle Katarn and then Siana Delun after them, the Terran padawans had learned of the important role the Skywalkers played in the survival of the Jedi Order. Anakin Skywalker single-handedly defeated the Orici who led the Ori against his galaxy over a century and a half ago, and his descendents continued to play a vital role in Jedi affairs up to Cade Skywalker's father holding off the Sith/Imperial assault on Ossus long enough for Siana and Cade to escape.

Now, to be walking next to that very same Cade Skywalker was astounding.

Finally they reached the medical bay and stepped in.

The room, easily as large as a gymnasium and lined with beds, was full to capacity with injured men and women of all species. They walked through with Cade occasionally touching the foot of one person or another, smiling and speaking words of encouragement. Izzie noticed the effect he had on them; the way his smile cheered them and strengthened them.

"You're going to make a good emperor," she said.

Cade looked at her and then shuddered. "That also means I have to be a husband."

"I've been told there are worse things to be."

Cade laughed. "Maybe so."

They finally stepped through the other side of the larger room and entered a second hall, this one with doors off to either side where injured officers were treated. They stepped into the first door and found John O'Neill seated next to Cassandra Fraiser. Dr. Janet Fraiser stood on the other side speaking with a Mon Calamari physician about her daughter as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Janet saw them enter, and with a nod to the Imperial physician stepped around to give Izzie and Hannah both hugs. "I'm so sorry to hear about Isabel," she said.

Izzie nodded. "Thank you. How's Cassie?"

"They're treating her better than we could even start on Earth," Janet admitted. "That's why I agreed to have her treated here. Imperial medicine is still light years beyond ours."

"We've also welcomed Antaran and Asgard medical technicians on board," Cade said.

The Mon Calamari nodded. "She is stable, but there is very little else we can do," he said. "The fact she survived at all is frankly a testament to her Jedi abilities. She was exposed to vacuum through punctures in her life support suit. Both lungs collapsed and she had severe blood loss and, I am sad to say, brain damage."

Izzie nodded. "Before becoming a Jedi I was also a medical doctor," she said. "May I see her charts?"

Although the "charts" came in a holopad rather than paper, the results were the same. She stepped past Fraiser and the Mon Calamari. She didn't even notice as Hannah stepped to John's side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I think I can help," she said at last. She pulled up a chair from the corner and sat beside the bed. She closed her eyes and put one hand on Cassie's head, the other on her chest. She reached for her power, both Antaran and Force-borne, and poured healing into her fellow padawan.

She felt Cassie's Force presence buried deep within her damaged mind, and began repairing the bridges to allow her to come back. She could not even guess how long it took, but when she finished, Cassandra Fraiser took a long, deep breath and opened her eyes.

Izzie sat back, exhausted. She looked around and realized a small crowd of physicians and medical techs had gathered to watch. "Amazing," Cade said at last.

"I've heard of Jedi healers," the Mon Calamari doctor said, "but never thought I would be lucky enough to see one in action. That was extraordinary."

"Where am I?" Cassie asked.

John stood, took her hand and looked down with a smile. "You're on a star destroyer over Earth."

"We won?"

"You betchya."

Cassie nodded. "Good. I love you. Now get out and leave me alone. I'm sleepy."

John laughed, leaned down and kissed her. "Will do."

They filed out of the room. As she was leaving, Cade caught Izzie's arm. "I understand not all of that was the Force, but a sufficient amount of it was. You know that the Jedi suffered heavy losses after Ossus, including all our master healers. Would you like to return with me and assume that role at the Praxeum?"

"I'm no master," Izzie said.

"Perhaps not yet," Cade said. "But with power and skill such as that, I have no doubt you would be. Think about it. You and your daughter could be the first Terran Jedi in our Galaxy."

Izzie smiled. "It's an honor to be asked. I'll talk it over with Hannah and Siana. Maybe meditate a bit. I've never been the best decision maker."

Cade bowed. "It's never too late to become one."

* * *

_Ruby Valley, Nevada, Sunday, September 7, 6 CE (2008 A.D.), 9:30 p.m. MT_

"This is unlike any Jedi ceremony I have attended," Cade said the next evening.

"Isabel and the rest are unlike any Jedi you've ever seen," Siana said. She was done crying, but she could not hide the sadness in her voice. "The people of this world have their own faiths. Although Isabel accepted the Force and all that comes with it, she never did rescind her original faith. Out of respect for her, and for the others who shared beliefs similar to hers, we will have a joint ceremony."

Cade smiled. "Yes, Master Delun."

She blushed, then smiled. "It does sound odd, doesn't it?"

He bowed to her then, not in a token of irony or cynicism, but as a knight doing honor to a master. "We're ready."

Siana bowed back, and turned to face the Jedi of Earth, living and dead.

A raised bier stood in the center of the Jedi Temple courtyard, and atop that bier of wood rested the body of Isabel Evans, Jedi Knight. Her face was covered by a white cloth to hide the devastating nature of her death. And draped along three sides were formal Jedi robe**s**—one for Daria Voronkova, one for Jennifer Hailey, and one for Sydney Bristow.

The living Jedi stood in a semi-circle around the bier clad in the formal brown and tan robes of the Jedi Order. Max had yet to be fitted for his cybernetic implant, so he remained in his wheelchair, as did Cassandra Fraiser, but the others stood proudly.

Siana's eyes moved from face to face: Liz Evans, Michael Guerin and Maria Guerin, Tess Harding, Daniel Jackson, John Sheppard, John O'Neill, Isobel Stevens, Hannah Volper, Dana Scully, Delvin Ostrael. To one side of the Jedi stood friends and family. Jim and Amy Valenti were there, as was Diane Evans and Jeff and Nancy Parker. The older Evans children stood quietly in front of their grandmother. Jeff held Claudia, while Diane held Daniela.

Jack and Sam O'Neill were there, as was Teal'c and his son Rya'c. In fact, before the ceremony even began Teal'c singled out Diane Evans. To the astonishment of her, the Parkers and the Valentis, Teal'c bowed deeply from the waist.

"You do not know me," he said in a thick voice. "I am Teal'c, the Defense Minister of the Jaffa Confederacy. This is my son Rya'c. I have known your daughter for many years, since she began training under Master Katarn and Master Delun. It was for me, and for my son, that she gave her life."

He straightened and looked down at his shorter son, who in turn stared at Diane with open respect. "I know the pain you feel," Teal'c said. "For a time my son was lost to me. I can do nothing to take your pain from you, but it is my hope that by seeing the people your daughter saved, you will know what a great hero she was. Her name has been engraved in the Hall of Warriors on Dakara, our Holy World and the Capital of the Confederacy, as a Hero and Friend to all Jaffa. Her memory will live on with my people for as long as my people live." With that, he and Rya'c both bowed deeply from the waist.

Diane's eyes glistened as she clutched Daniela to her. "Thank you," she managed to choke out.

Teal'c and Rya'c were silent now as the last guests of the service arrived. Prime Minister William Charleston III left his security detail behind. Those in the courtyard heard him say, "The Jedi saved my life during the first Ori invasion. If Bea and I aren't safe with them, then I'm not safe anywhere." Then he stepped out of the main temple entrance into the courtyard with Beatrice Franklin by his side as always, and walked slowly until the two of them joined Jack and Sam with the observers.

Siana nodded in respect to the two leaders of the United Earth Commonwealth, and then turned to the Episcopalian priest standing on the other side of Cade Skywalker.

The priest nodded back and stepped forward. He began reading passages and praising Isabel Evans the woman. It was not a traditional Episcopalian service to be sure, but Siana knew it meant a lot for Isabel's family to have him there.

As the priest was finishing, though, one passage he read caught her attention. "Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day," he told all those gathered. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

With a final prayer and an _Amen_ echoed by the Jedi and observers alike, the priest stepped back next to Cade. Siana then stepped forward. "It is a basic tenant of the Jedi that there is no death. That when a Jedi dies she becomes one with the Force. And so I say to you all that the words read here today are as true for the Jedi as they are for anyone else. We are not bodies of crude matter. We are luminous beings, connected to all things around us. What is seen is truly temporary, but what is unseen—the soul within us and the Force without—is truly eternal. Isabel was my friend. She was the first person on this planet to speak to me. I loved her as a sister and confidant. My life will be poorer for her absence. But I know that I will see her again. Isabel is not gone. She is one with the Force. She is some place where there will be no more tears, no more conflict. And when our time comes, she will be waiting for us with that beautiful smile, and we will be together again."

The lights around the courtyard dimmed. The Jedi as one lit their lightsabers, Cade Skywalker among them. The watchers jumped a little at the snap-_hiss_ of all the blades igniting at precisely the same time. As one, the Jedi stepped forward and touched their blades to the base of the bier until the wood ignited.

As they stepped back, Siana spoke again. "Emotion," she said.

"Yet peace," the others responded, much like a liturgy in a church service.

"Ignorance," she said.

"Yet knowledge," the others intoned.

"Passion," she said.

"Yet serenity," came the response.

"Chaos," she said.

"Yet harmony," the others said.

"Death," she said.

"Yet the Force," the others finished.

"We commend you to your God, Isabel Evans," Siana said. "And we commend you to the Force. Be at peace, my sister, and know we will see you again soon."

* * *

_Rigel X, Trading Outpost, December 24, 6 CE_

The woman stepped into the same bar she visited every day, walked to the same bench she sat in every day, and ordered a mug of Romulan ale the same as every day. She herself was not Romulan, which caused a few stares, but then again few were after the war. Romulans were considered a dying species, living together in small enclaves where they could.

Occasionally someone would try to bother her. She appeared to be Tau'ri, and the Tau'ri were still rare in the galaxy despite spearheading the war against the Ori. But even for one of her kind, she was attractive to many humanoids seeking companionship.

Such males tended to land on the floor with a disrupter pointed at their faces.

It so happened though on one particularly cold day that a stranger arrived in a Jaffa pel'tak. He wore long brown robes with a hood thrown forward to hide his face. He moved with a sure grace that made the many criminals who saw him rethink him as a potential target.

He followed the woman into the bar that strange day, and as she was sipping down her Romulan ale, he took the stool beside her without invitation.

"Do you mind?" the woman snapped in Rigellian.

He pulled back his hood and revealed a Tau'ri face to the aliens in the bar. He looked at her calmly, and she stared back as if stunned. "Daniel," she whispered.

He smiled gently. "Today is Christmas Eve on Earth," he said. "A holy day for us. A day to be with family and friends."

He raised a hand and the barkeep brought him a Romulan ale. He had grown accustomed to the drink during his own time there.

Vala turned and stared into her drink. "No family here."

"You and I, we are family," Daniel said. "We share experiences no one else can understand. We both loved someone who threatened the galaxy itself." He sipped the drink and took a deep breath. "The Ori are gone. The last cruisers Adria left over Earth were destroyed without effort when the fleet returned from Romulus. You don't have to hide any more."

Although they spoke quietly, some species had better ears than others. The names they spoke raised the hackles on many there. The two large, green Orions in the corner were especially perturbed, as the Ori obliterated much of their worlds and cultures.

"This was the Holy Mother!" one of them bellowed to the other patrons. He pointed at Vala. "This is the one who birthed the _chrhhtra_ who murdered my people!"

Daniel stood and stared the huge green-skinned male down. "And I am the one who killed the Orici and defeated the Ori," he said in a clear voice.

The Orion blinked and the other patrons stopped speaking. "I am a Jedi Knight," Daniel continued. "You don't know what that means, but I promise that in the years to come, you will. For now, I am taking her with me and we will leave in peace."

"You will not take her with you," another patron said. This one was Andorian, also among the last of his kind.

"I will," he said. "She was as much a victim as any of you. And she has suffered enough."

"Not if she still breaths," the Orion growled.

Daniel held up his hand, and the Orion flew across the room against the wall where his partner sat. As weapons were drawn Daniel ignited his lightsaber. At the sight of the weapon, the Andorian slowly holstered his weapon. "One of Tau'ri who evacuated the survivors of my cities carried a weapon like that. She killed fifty Ori soldiers by herself with lightning from her hands."

"I know," Daniel said. "She was Jedi, like I am. I mean none of you harm, and neither does Vala. Let us go in peace, and live your lives as best you can."

The other patrons, stunned by the downing of the Orion, seemed to watch the Andorian for their lead. The man's antenna twitched, and at last he nodded. "Take her, then, Jedi. For saving whom you could of my people, the Jedi have earned my respect."

"Thank you," Daniel said.

He turned and held a hand to Vala. "Are you coming?"

She looked around the bar, and then rushed to his side. As they walked through the complex back to his waiting ship, she said, "Did you really love her?"

"I did."

"And me?"

He smiled at her gently. "We'll have plenty of time to find out," he said.

Well, just the Epilogue to go, and then we're done. Thank you all for reading!!


	85. Epilogue: The Seeds of Forever

Author's Notes and Responses are at the end. Thanks!

* * *

**Epilogue: The Seeds of Forever**

_Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy, Wednesday, August 5th, 7 CE_

McKay stepped through the shimmering gate a step behind Tess. The rest of the Commonwealth team followed. "Chara, Zalenka, let's go see what we have," Rodney said.

Almost immediately the lights in the city activated on their own accord as sensors detected life again in the long-abandoned city.

Tess merely wandered aimlessly through the floor until she arrived at a spot that spoke to her of much activity in the past. "Rodney," she called. "Here."

Rodney came without hesitation, and instantly started scrolling through information in the suddenly active screens. He and most of the research team were fluent in the Alteran language now, thanks to intensive study with Daniel Jackson, and he quickly saw what needed be done. "The city's reactivating across the board, but it's about out of power. Zalenka, if I'm reading this right, and I'm pretty sure I am, the ZPM chamber is here," he said, pointing to a map. "Looks like two ZPMs are out and the third is failing. You have the new ones?"

"Here!" the Chiss scientist called Chara said.

"Let's load them up then and get this place moving," Rodney said.

Tess leaned over and kissed his ear. "I love it when you play bossy," she said.

* * *

_Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy, Saturday, November 20th, 9 CE_

"Wraith fleet, this is Admiral Paul Emerson of the United Commonwealth Alliance ship _Dakara_. You are approaching a world under Commonwealth protection. Depart immediately or you will be fired upon."

The five Wraith hive ships and their escorts made no response, nor did Emerson expect them to. However, forms had to be followed. In the two years since the Commonwealth established its presence in the Pegasus galaxy, human worlds suffering for ages under Wraith culling had flocked to the Commonwealth banner for protection.

In exchange for raw materials, food stuffs and personnel to train, the Commonwealth was glad enough to provide that protection to all. Except the Genii, of course, who proved they were as trustworthy as the Wraith. With all other worlds falling under Commonwealth protection, the Wraith fell hungrily into the Genii.

"This is Emerson to attack group," the Admiral said. "_Europa_ and _Io_ take point. Deploy primary weapons only after the Wraith have commenced firing. As far as we know these are their last hive ships. We're not going to commit genocide against a race unless they leave us no choice."

The Wraith, starved of human prey after wiping out the Genii, themselves had no choice. They fired everything they had and swarmed their massive hive ships and smaller attack ships against the Commonwealth attack group of five Heavy Command Carriers.

The carriers launched their fighters, and then fired their primary weapons.

The Wraith shields were equal in strength to original generation ha'tak vessels. They could no more repel the fire of twin superlasers than they could a supernova. The five large hive ships expanded into clouds of vapor. Moments later the attack cruisers followed, while fleets of F-505 _Eagles_ made quick work of the Wraith darts.

"We just exterminated a species," Emerson said aloud after the last dart exploded. Then he groaned. "I'm going to have to write one helluva report."

* * *

_Asuras Orbit, Pegasus Galaxy, Wednesday, May 4th, 10 CE_

Siana Delun studied the creature named Oberoth before her carefully. Because of his synthetic nature, he had no presence in the Force. Instead she found herself studying his all-too-human body language.

"And you say to the Commonwealth that there can be no co-existence between humans and Replicators?" she asked.

Oberoth raised his chin. "None," he said with finality. "Your ancestors tried to obliterate us, but we rose from the ashes. Never again will we allow that threat to exist."

They sat alone aboard the newly commissioned Commonwealth cruiser _Lantea_, one of the new _Pegasus-_class heavy cruisers. The two-kilometer-long behemoth boasted four directional superlaser turrets and a whole string of turbolaser batteries. Already plans were in place to bring a shipyard into the Pegasus galaxy to begin construction of such ships here as well as the Milky Way.

Sitting there now, Siana knew from his expression that Oberoth had sent the order to launch the Asuran fleet. As if in confirmation, she could see streaks of light arcing up from the surface.

"You know you cannot win," Siana said urgently. "Ten thousand years, Oberoth! You have seen so much, done so much! Don't let your fate be sealed by ancient programming!"

"We are what we were created to be and more," Oberoth pronounced. "And we will never bow down before your people again!"

Over the intercom, the Commodore's voice announced: "City ships and Asuran cruisers have launched. We have drones incoming. Activating interphasic shields!"

Oberoth lunged suddenly, reaching his fingers toward her forehead. Siana responded instantly, and the human-form replicator screeched as Force-lightning seared through his nanoprocessors. Aside from the anti-replicator weapon produced by the Commonwealth Research Initiative, Force lightning was the next surest way to kill a replicator.

Oberoth, the leader of his people for ten centuries, toppled to the ground and broke into his component replicator nanites, essentially turning into metallic dust. "I'm so sorry," she said with genuine feeling.

The ship shuddered under the impact of the drones. The drones, identical versions of the Ancient drones, were the only known weapon that could impact and damage interphasic shields. Still, the combination of interphasic and Asgard-based shields provided the ship a protective layer not even drones could pierce immediately. "Master Delun," Commodore Archer said, "we're taking heavy fire. We show the city ships and cruisers are opening hyperspace windows. We project their course to be that of Lantea itself."

"I understand," she said. "Have the fleet drop interphasic shields and fire all weapons. Destroy everything." She walked to the transparisteel window looking down over the Asuran homeworld. "When that is done, deploy the anti-Replicator warheads. We're going to have to sterilize the planet."

"Understood," Archer said.

The city ship and cruiser shields were significant, equal at the least to Asgard shields. They were not, however, designed to repel continent-splitting superlasers. Two shots apiece were enough to destroy each city ship. All five were destroyed before even one could enter hyperspace. The cruisers quickly followed their city-ships into oblivion, although not before ripping through the shields of the UECS _Dakara_ still serving in the Pegasus galaxy. Siana closed her eyes when she felt Admiral Emerson die. Much of his crew the rest of the task force was able to save, but not all.

"Engaging emergency beam-out!" Commodore Archer's voice said. "Seventy-five percent recovery. The last Asuran cruiser has been destroyed."

Moments later a series of warheads dropped from the base of the Commonwealth ships, searing down through the atmosphere. Each explosion spread the replicator-deadly radiation across the world.

In minutes, the last of the replicators in the universe would be gone. Siana shook her head sadly and left the conference room to return to her quarters. "Ten thousand years gone in the blink of an eye."

* * *

_Coruscant, Corusca Galaxy, Stardate (32 two years Commonwealth Era)_

Emperor Cade Skywalker and Empress Marasiah Fel stood together on the bridge of the Imperial _Holon_-class star destroyer as the invading fleet pounded through the first line of frigates and star destroyers guarding the center of the galactic empire.

The invaders, known as _Shtalc_, ripped straight through the rim worlds without pause, destroying everything in their path far more effectively than the Vong, or even the Ori, in their quest to cut the head off the galactic government.

Prince Cole Skywalker Fel was heading up the rear echelon of the defenses, with strict orders to evacuate himself, his sister, and as many civilians as possible should the Emperor's last stand fail.

For every enemy ship destroyed, two Imperial ships fell. And with over eight thousand enemy ships, they had numbers to spare. Cade turned when he felt his wife's hand in his. After twenty-six years of marriage, he and Marasiah knew each other so intently speech was unnecessary.

They knew they were about to die.

Suddenly Admiral Costol clambered out of the station pit. "Lord Emperor, new ships are coming out of hyperspace. The Commonwealth has arrived!"

The Imperial leaders turned and stepped quickly to the tactical station as the communication board lit up. "Imperial Fleet, this is Jedi Master Dana Scully, acting Admiral of the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force. In accordance with the treaty of Corusca signed in year 6 of the Commonwealth Era, we present this fleet for your common defense."

Cade remembered meeting Dana Scully during his brief visit to Earth right before his wedding. He remembered she was an attractive woman with red hair. Staring at her now, he was somewhat surprised to see she had aged hardly at all. The rumors he had heard from the Alliance about their top Jedi appeared to be true. "Master Scully, it is a true pleasure to see you. We can use any assistance you can provide."

"It's good to see you too, Master Cade," she said, referring to his old Jedi title. "Sit tight. We're going to start cutting them up. Have your fleet ready to start digesting the bites we cut off."

The five hundred ship expeditionary force of the United Commonwealth Alliance was heavily outnumbered, but when they fired a unified volley of ZPM-energized superlasers and five hundred Shtalc vaporized instantly, Cade felt a wave of immense relief.

"Admiral Costol, have the fleet concentrate fire on enemy ships isolated by the Commonwealth fire," he said.

"She looks good for a seventy-year-old woman," Marasiah noted.

"I understand it has to do with some Antaran manipulation of her genes," Cade said. "As far as I know, she and the other first Jedi of the Commonwealth may never die."

* * *

_Gamma Quadrant, Commonwealth Galaxy, Stardate (289 Commonwealth Era)_

"Your technological and biological distinctiveness will be made to service us. Prepare to be assimilated." The monotone chorus of the Borg transmission cut off as hundreds of cubes began to surround the ship.

"Borg Collection, this is Admiral James Kyle Kirk of the United Commonwealth Alliance ship _Enterprise_. After a unanimous vote of the Commonwealth Security Council and General Assembly, and with the consent of the Jedi Advisory Board, it has been determined that the Borg Collective is guilty of crimes against sentient species and is to be dissolved by any means necessary. Prepare to be disbanded."

"They do not appear to be interested in disbanding," Captain Spock noted.

"It would appear that way." Kirk turned to the other passenger on the spacious bridge of the _Galaxy_-class star dreadnaught UCA _Enterprise_ SDA-17001. It was still Kirk's ship, just as the task force accompanying it were his ships. But having Spock as his captain brought many memories back to the famous admiral.

Those memories, however, faltered when he looked at their guest. Having a Jedi on his bridge was intimidating enough, but to have _this_ Jedi on his bridge was enough to make even the famous Admiral Kirk sweat. "Master Jedi, you are here with the voice of the Security Council. Your orders?"

Jedi Master Maxwell Evans nodded and considered the horde of cubes beyond. Already they were firing their weapons against the integrated phase shields of the _Enterprise_ and the rest of the UCA taskforce. He felt the twisted life in the ships and recoiled slightly from it. After centuries of following the ways of the Force, some things still surprised him. The Wraith, the Asuran-Replicators. And now the Borg.

"I believe I can locate the nexus of their control and command," Max said. "Every ship and system has redundancies, but they use a single hub to coordinate their actions. If we can reach it, we can end the threat." He stepped past the Admiral to one of the banks of computers and used the scanners to sort through the Borg fleet.

The ship shuddered mildly under the continuing onslaught of the Borg attack. The layers of phasic and standard shielding provided an almost unbreakable barrier, but they had sufficient study of the Borg to know that, should even one Commonwealth military craft be assimilated, the Borg would become an instant threat.

"There," he said, painting the target for all to see. "One HAAI torpedo should do it."

Admiral Kirk studied the marked spherical ship, buried deep within the enemy ranks. "Helm, take us in at full impulse. Shoulder a path for us."

The _Enterprise_ bullied its way past the frantically firing Borg vessels, shrugging aside the incoming fire. The rest of the task force stayed in place. Finally, they came within firing range of the central ship. Almost immediately cubes moved to form a wall around the sphere ship.

"There is no choice," Max said. "We knew we would not be able to liberate the whole without sacrificing some."

With his leash off, Admiral Kirk said, "Communications, give me inter-fleet." With a ping, Kirk addressed the taskforce. "All ships, fire at will. Drill a hole for us. The moment the Sphere ship is exposed, we will fire the HAAI torpedo."

Antimatter compressed within magnetic beams lashed out in white streaks from the _Enterprise's_ weapons banks. The antimatter struck the Borg cubes with immediate and overwhelming violence. One shot equaled one cube utterly destroyed, one after the other. More cubes moved to take their place as the entire Borg fleet collapsed to protect its nexus. Kirk, realizing that even the _Enterprise_ would be hard pressed to break through, ordered the rest of the taskforce to engage the enemy. The dreadnoughts _Commonwealth_ and _Victory_ joined the _Enterprise _while the rest of the task force took up cardinal points around the center.

Even the debris of the destroyed ships became a problem. "Captain Spock," the weapons officer suddenly called, "we have an opening!"

Spock gave the order as Kirk watched.

A single torpedo left the _Enterprise's_ tubes and immediately disappeared under phasic shields. It reappeared a moment later as it broke through the Borg cubes and struck the sphere ship.

There was no explosion. There was no sign at all of damage as the taskforce ceased firing. It was not a weapon of kinetic destruction. It was a weapon of electronic destruction.

The Hostile Anti-Artificial Intelligence suite contained in the torpedo instantly attacked the subspace communication network of the entire collective. It took only a matter of minutes until cubes began drifting without apparent control, many colliding with each other due to the sheer volume of ships.

"It's done," Max said. "Inform the rest of the task force that we're ready to start processing individual Borg."

The Admiral relayed the order, and in moments a fleet of almost five hundred unarmed vessels appeared. The ships were not even a third the size of a dreadnaught, but served a vital function. Within moments of their arrival, individual Borg drones disappeared from their cubes and reappeared in containment units without any of their implants or artificial appendages. Those that were able to survive without implants were considered viable for rehabilitation and resettlement to their home worlds.

Those that were not were immediately transferred to the morgue ship that accompanied each medical ship.

The expense was overwhelming and the process would take many months and even years, but in Max's mind it was the most acceptable way of removing this latest threat from the galaxy.

* * *

_Swell, Nomerica, Terra Prime, Stardate 6 (1,256 years since Doomsday)_

Four Master Jedi walked through the park. The sky overhead was a beautiful shade of cobalt while the distant lunar rings gave the moon a glimmering halo in the late afternoon sky.

Hundred year old trees, hybrids of juniper and Vulcan _ssrok,_ rose up around them, while vines of wisteria hung in bloom from their twisting branches. Children played nearby, always keeping fascinated gazes on the Jedi.

In the twelve hundred years since the founding of the Commonwealth, the Jedi Order continued to play an important role as advisers. During a violent coup attempt that left much of the Commonwealth General Assembly dead or incapacitated, the Jedi even acted as the governing authority. It was a task the Jedi Council gladly turned back over to civilian control once the government was re-established.

In that time, the Commonwealth grew to encompass the entire galaxy which now shared its name, as well as a semi-autonomous sister Commonwealth in the nearby Pegasus Galaxy. They had defended themselves against a multitude of galactic invaders, and the worlds of the Commonwealth were prosperous and peaceful. Jedi had established themselves in a total of five galaxies now, counting two newly colonized galaxies between the Commonwealth and Corusca galaxies.

The four Masters watched it all, from the very beginning.

Upon first glance, the four didn't look any different than any other Jedi. They appeared to be in their mid- to late thirties. Healthy, attractive adults, paired off. And yet between them they had trained or had a hand in training every one of the ten thousand Jedi spread through the galaxies.

Now they returned home.

"That used to be the Crashdown," Max Evans said as he pointed to a repulsor-swing set filled with playing kids. The children were a mix of species, mostly human, but with a smattering of blue hair or an occasional ridge or horn.

Tess Harding took his hand and nodded. "I remember it."

Michael Guerin pointed to the spot where a large juniper grew. "And that was the high school."

By his side, Izzie Stevens nodded. This was never her home, but she could easily see it as it used to be through Michael's eyes.

The four shared something no one else on Earth save one shared—they were all first generation Antaran/Human hybrids. They did not realize in their youth what that meant. Even when others grew old while they did not, the truth did not hit them. Not until that day when Michael sat on the edge of Maria's bed, gently holding her age-spotted hand while she closed her eyes and slipped into the final sleep of extreme old age. She was over one hundred years old. He looked not even twenty-five.

Liz followed two months later.

The life spans of humans increased within two generations of the formation of the Commonwealth to over one hundred, with some living to see two centuries. But none could survive the length of time the four Jedi Masters had, with one exception.

She waited for them as they turned a corner on the path. She stood in a large open-air courtyard filled with fountains, and around her rose statues ten meters high each. On the statues were engraved the faces of Max and Isabel Evans, Michael Guerin, Tess Harding, Liz Evans, Izzie Stevens and Maria Deluca Guerin. The first of the Terran Jedi.

"So this is where you were born?" Dana Scully Mulder said. She looked around the verdant paradise of the place once known as Roswell, New Mexico. "Changed quite a bit from when I was last here."

Max and the others came and gave her a hug.

Like the others, Dana grew old without aging. Fox Mulder actually died in his early fifties of an unexpected aneurysm, so she was spared the pain of watching him wither away. When her sixtieth birthday came and went and she looked no different than the day Fox dragged her out of that Antaran mothership years before they discovered the Roswell kids, she thought back to a man named Clyde Bruckman, whom she met in 1995 of the old Earth calendar. He had the unique and morbid ability to predict with absolute certainty when someone was going to die.

When she asked Clyde when she would die, he simply said, "You don't."

It turned out, twelve hundred years later, that he was right.

The five of them stood quietly, basking in the glow of their age-old companionship and the power of the Force. They were the first Jedi on the planet, but not nearly the last.

They all felt a mild disturbance in the Force and shared a knowing glance. "Sianee must have read our note," Max said.

"Once she figured out what paper was," Izzie said with a chuckle. "I don't think she's ever seen such an anachronism."

The current grandmaster of the Jedi order was, by pure coincidence, a direct descendent of Siana Delun and Delvin Ostrael. And the current grandmaster had just received the news of a lifetime.

"She's attempting to get the Prime Minister out here to see us off," Tess said as she easily read the currents of the Force. After the centuries, each of them had attained a mastery of the Force beyond anything any other Jedi in any galaxy could claim.

"They won't make it," Max said. "I'm tired. I'm ready to go."

He reached out and took Tess's hand. Michael took Izzie's. Dana stood alone. As they waited, Dana could not help but appreciate the irony that after twelve hundred years, Max and Tess finally became the pair their biological families programmed them to be, and that Michael and Izzie formed the same bond originally intended for him and Izzie's fellow clone Isabel.

Nearby, the public transport station hummed as officials from the galactic government and Jedi council beamed in. They heard distant cries of surprise and even awe as the most important people of the government began running through the park.

The five of them said nothing and waited patiently, until they were five no longer. Without warning or fanfare, several more figures joined them.

Max looked to his right hand, and saw Liz standing there, smiling at him with love in his eyes. "I've taken good care of him, Liz," Tess said from his left side.

"I know you have, Tess," Liz said. "I've been watching."

Nearby, Maria Guerin stood beside Michael, opposite Izzie. "Hello, Spaceboy," she said with a wry, adoring smile.

"Hello, Daniel," Dana said with a smile when she looked down at another hand holding hers. The others shared their love for their long lost friend and comrade.

Daniel Jackson opened himself fully to their love as well. "Hello, my friends," he said. "We've all been waiting for you for a long time. Kyle, Siana, and so many others."

"We had things to do," Max said. "But we're done now."

"You're ready?" Daniel asked.

"We're ready," the other five said.

"Then let's go home," Liz said. "It's time."

The prime minister of the Commonwealth, flanked by the grandmaster of the Jedi order and dozens of Jedi and dignitaries, burst around the corner just in time to see five Jedi robes fall lightly to the floor of the park in front of the statues built to honor them.

Sianee Ostelun walked forward, her eyes moist, as she knelt between the robes. She knew why they did what they did, and could not bring herself to be angry over it, but still she felt a deep sadness. She knew the previous day when the five oldest human Jedi stepped into her office and invited her to a day of meditation that something was going to happen, but she had no idea it would be this.

Her greatest teachers, and the greatest Jedi, had chosen this day to ascend. If she had more knowledge of the pre-Commonwealth Era, however, she might have guessed. For this was January 25, the 1250th year anniversary of Doomsday, which was the first day they had used both their Antaran power and the Force together. It was the first day of their path to becoming Jedi, and today was the first day of their path to something greater.

"Goodbye, my friends," she said as she looked up into the sky.

FraserMage, RogueCanuck, Snowfur and Roosterman71, thank you all for your comments and reviews. It's hard to believe this story is finally done, after a year and a half of posting here and on TF.N, where it was nominated for Beyond the Saga Best Crossover. Didn't win, of course, since it was only peripherally Star Wars, but it was nice to get the nom.

Thank you all for reading and for all your kind words. I appreciate your support and reviews.

And please keep a look-out for my first non-crossover Star Wars story coming out soon!

Cheers,

Darth Marrs


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